Snow White and the Hunter
by Wen Xin 11
Summary: "You, my dear Queen, are the fairest here so true, but Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you." The Queen demanded the death of Snow White who competed with her for the title of 'the fairest of them all', but the Princess escaped into the forest. There, she met a hunter who brought her on a string of adventures, eventually to force the Queen down the throne.
1. Snow White

**Inspired by the movie 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and the original tale of Snow White (at least, a bit). I'm sick of not seeing any updates for 1896 stories, so yeah…this is my Vongola edition of **_**'Snow White and the Hunter'**_**!**

**Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Tragedy, Romance. **

* * *

><p>The Queen walked on the snowy grounds of the castle's garden, wearing a gown of the finest silk and the most intricate lace, in addition a wooly coat that draped to her feet to protect her holy being from the harsh cold wind. She approached the rose bushes, and caressed a beautiful red rose, only to be pricked by a thorn. She watched in wonder as three drops of blood fell from her finger to the ground.<p>

She smiled up to the sky, "Oh, how I wish to have a daughter whose skin is as white as winter snow, lips as red as crimson blood, and hair as black as a raven's wings".

The Queen did have a son, but she still yearned for a daughter, and her dream was not distant. She gave birth to a baby girl who satisfied every one of her wishes, with skin as white as winter snow, lips as red as crimson blood, and hair as black as a raven's wings. The Princess was adored by everyone, and the people often referred to her as 'Snow White'.

The loving Queen always watched her children play in the garden, attend lessons and enjoy royal meals together, and she cherished them from the bottom of her heart. However, her unfortunate fate hindered her from staying by their side till they grew up, and she soon passed away due to a fatal illness that landed her on her deathbed, when Snow White was only twelve.

Snow White remembered her beloved mother's last words, _"I'm sure you will become the fairest lady ever lived, Nagi"_.

The King remarried to a gorgeous woman whom he had rescued from an underworld organisation that was infamous for kidnapping young maidens and selling them to sex slavery. Princess Snow White, unlike her elder brother, had been very reluctant to acknowledge the woman, since she thought of her father's decision as betrayal to her late mother.

The woman was crowned the new Queen on the day of the wedding, and she knelt before Snow White who was the bridesmaid, smiling as she held her chubby cheeks, "I share with you the pain of losing my mother, but I vow to erase that sadness of yours as much as possible, just like your mother would". Snow White gazed into those deep emerald eyes, and she thought maybe she could finally accept her. The Queen happily bestowed upon the Princess a new name, Chrome, to signify a new life ahead.

A week after the wedding, however, the Queen's true identity was revealed to be a powerful sorceress who was in league with the underworld organisation that had planned everything to lure out the King and assassinate him so that she could take over the kingdom. An infiltration of the castle and massacre of every soldier occurred in the middle of the night, led by the General of the Dark Army, while the smug Queen watched from the window of her bedroom.

"How…dare you!" the King grunted from the bed, holding onto his wound.

"Oh? Is a stab to the stomach not enough to kill you, Your Majesty?" Rena licked the blood on her dagger, walking toward the King, "You're a tough one".

The door burst open to show a panting Snow White, "Tou-san! We're under attack—!" She froze at the scene in front of her, which was enough to tell her what had happened.

"Ah, Chrome," Rena grinned, "Thanks for coming, because I won't need to search for you!" She tossed the dagger straight toward Chrome, but the blood splattered out was not hers.

Snow White gasped as her father collapsed before her, pulling out the dagger from his chest, "R-Run, Nagi…"

"Tou-san…Tou-san!" Snow White rushed to her father, shaking him frantically, "Iie, Tou-san! You can't die! TOU-SAN! TOU-SAAAAAAN!"

Rena pulled the crying girl up by her hair, musing to herself, "Hmm…on second thought, you can be a useful hostage. I shall keep you alive". She ordered her knights to keep the Princess in place while she went to find the Prince.

"Iie! Don't hurt him! Don't hurt Onisama! I BEG OF YOU!" Chrome screamed in vain as the knights dragged her off to be locked in the north tower, never to be found by anyone else.

Rena walked to the corner of the room, where a glamorous mirror slept. She placed her hands on the side of the mirror, whispering affectionately, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

The surface of the mirror swirled into twirls of black, until a faceless hooded person appeared, answering her dutifully and truthfully, "You, my dear Queen, are the fairest of them all".

Rena smirked in satisfaction.

* * *

><p>No one had time to mourn over the tragedy that happened on that fateful day, for everyone was soon suffering under the rule of the fearful Queen. She was the leader of the underworld organisation, and the victims who were done from the sex slavery were delivered to her to have their youth sucked out from them, so that Rena could maintain her own beauty and immortality.<p>

Rena consulted her magic mirror often, asking who was the fairest in the land, and the answer would always be the same, _her_.

"Ah, how lovely," she would think, "I have my loyal Dark Army, I have my magic mirror, I have my youthful beauty… I have everything wrapped around my finger!"

People were still questioning about the young royalties' status. There was no information about the whereabouts of the Prince, and the Queen did not proudly announce that she had disposed of the Princess like she did the King, meaning Snow White was alive. No one knew anything for sure, since dead men -those who attempted to invade the castle and rescue the Princess- could tell no tales.

* * *

><p>Years later, things started to change for the Queen, because one day when she asked her magic mirror the same thing, it gave a different response.<p>

"You, my dear Queen, are the fairest here so true, but Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you."

Of course, Rena was _infuriated_. After all, how could someone who had been locked up in the filthy north tower for six years be far more beautiful than her? Nevertheless, her magic mirror did not lie, so she had better take action fast. Well, simple. If she killed Snow White, she would be the fairest again, right?

Rena grinned. She knew just the person who could do the job.

* * *

><p>Eighteen-year-old Chrome lay on the broken wooden bed, playing with a handkerchief in her skinny hands. She flinched when she heard the click of the door lock, and turned to see someone unexpected enter the room. She immediately jumped up, squeezing the blanket close to her, as she eyed the knight warily.<p>

"Oni…sama?"

The Prince dressed in knight armory smirked, "Yo, Chrome".

Chrome bit her lip, "Don't call me that…I won't accept the name _she_ gave me".

"Then you're alone in this world."

Chrome gripped the blanket harder, "N-Nande? Why did you…?"

"I told you three years ago. Guess living here really drives you mad to the point of losing memory."

"You're Nai! You're my onisama! So why would you—?"

"I am Martin!" the Prince stomped his foot, "Don't address me by that lowly name! And I'm not here to have you bark at me! I'm here in order of the Queen!"

"What is it? What does she want from me this time? How long does she intend to sink me in this torment? Why are _you_ on her side?!"

"Damare!" Martin grabbed her throat and pushed her down onto the bed, pressing his knee on her thigh without a care for her pain, "Be obedient and submit to me unless you don't want it to be over quickly".

Chrome's eyes widened when she saw a knife in her brother's hand. Martin smirked as he released her throat, "You want to know what the Queen wants? Well, you know how much she treasures her beauty, right? She can't accept it if someone like you steals it from her, so she wants you dead…" His hand slipped down to her chest, "…by eating your precious _heart_".

Shock electrocuted itself through Chrome as her mind processed the Prince's words, but she was quick to react before the knife penetrated her chest. She picked up a piece of wood that had cracked off the bed's stilt and cut it across Martin's forehead. While he fell off the bed in pain, Chrome stole the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, making a run for it.

She dashed down the spiral stairs of the tower, her heart racing as Martin's angry voice echoed from above. Finally reaching the bottom, she hastily unlocked the exit door and ran toward the garden of the castle, where she knew was not surrounded by brick walls, just fence. The alarms had already begun to activate, and shouts of the knights could be heard, but Chrome's determination to escape kept herself composed and her mind resourceful. She found a saw and with all her might, cut down the fence, making a hole that was big enough for her to crawl through.

Right then, all she could think about was to run away from the castle, her prison. She knew the knights were already after her, but she would continue to run, over the hills and far away, so that they could never catch her. They must not catch her.

Chrome panted in exhaustion as she sank to her feet. Now that she had run so far, she did not know where she had ended up at. She looked around, seeing nothing much but darkness. The tall trees loomed over her and the shadows they casted on the dirt ground resembled silhouettes of witches on brooms. She could feel shivers down her spine, and she screamed and scurried away when she realised she had been sitting on a nest of beetles.

Bugs were climbing up the tree trunks and all over the ground covered in dried leaves. The twisted vines hanging across the branches added to the creepy atmosphere. This must be the forest.

Chrome was not sure if she could survive in a place like this, but it would definitely be better than the prison. She should start finding a water source and some fruits…

A hissing sound frightened her and she ran ahead without thinking, deeper into the forest.

She was scared. Where was she supposed to go? Who was there to help her? She fell to her knees again, tired and very, very scared. Tears dripped from her eyes as she clenched her dress, trembling as the darkness seemed to block out any light of hope she could grasp on…

Chrome flinched when she heard the mass of leaves beside her crunch under some weight.

"What are you doing here?"


	2. The Hunter

Chrome looked up to see a man staring back down at her. She never expected to meet a human in this forest, so to say that she was surprised would be an understatement.

The man was tall and well built. One glance was all she needed to tell that he was a strong person. He was wearing a white dress shirt, a grey vest and black long pants. He had a bag of arrows slung over his shoulder and in his hand was a bow. He was probably a hunter. Strapped to his right thigh was a holder for two metal sticks…what were those?

He knelt down, and at such close proximity, Chrome could see his fair complexion, silky black hair, glistening grey eyes, sharp nose, smooth pink lips, and a little below his collarbones were on display. She did not even realise she was blushing.

The man examined her. Judging by her long dress, she was probably from the town, but never in his hunting trips had he met someone like her in such a dangerous place. He secretly admitted though, she was _damn_ beautiful. Never had he seen a woman with skin as white as winter snow, lips as red as crimson blood, and hair as black as a raven's wings…

Anyway, admiring her beauty could wait.

He asked again, "What are you doing here?"

Chrome clenched a fist to her chest nervously. What should she say? She could not possibly tell him she was a fugitive princess who just escaped from the castle. The knights would definitely have spread word about her disappearance and urged everyone to search for her and throw her back to her prison.

"I…I'm…l-lost." That was actually true.

The man raised an eyebrow, "How did you end up here in the first place?"

"I…ran away from home." Oh shit.

"You have to go back," the hunter said, "You can't expect to survive in a place like this. Which town do you belong to?"

'_Town? Is he going to bring me to a town? There are people, and I can find food and drink, but what if they discover who I am? And although I've been isolated from the outside world for so long, I know that sometimes knights patrol the towns. There's a high chance they may catch me.' _

"N-No…please, I don't want to go back!" Chrome pleaded, thinking that she had better come up with a believable story, "I'd been mistreated at home. My stepparents only gave me one meal a day, and they used me as a punching bag for their tantrum. None of the townspeople liked me either and they bullied me. Then today my stepparents tried to sell me off to a brothel because they don't want to provide for me anymore, so I ran away…and accidentally came here".

She bowed down, "Onegai! Please don't bring me back!"

The hunter sighed, "Where do you want to go now?"

Chrome kept silent, unable to answer.

"What's your name?" the hunter spoke again.

She had no choice but to tell him the name the loathsome Queen gave her, for everyone in the country would know the Princess's real name, "C-Chrome".

"Hn… I suppose you can follow me," he declared, and Chrome's face lit up, "But don't get in my way".

Chrome smiled in delight, "Arigato gozaimasu, Mr Hunter!"

"Hibari Kyoya."

Chrome stood up and bowed, "Arigato, Hibari-san!"

* * *

><p>"You fool!" Rena gave a tight slap to Martin's face, not caring that he just received treatment to his forehead, "How dare you let her run off so easily! And what about you guys?" she pointed to the knights, "Are you so useless to be unable to catch her?"<p>

"Our deepest apologies, Your Majesty," one of them bowed, "She was faster than we thought".

"Excuses!" Rena exclaimed furiously, "I don't care how you do it, but bring her back to me! I will personally dig out her heart!"

"Don't worry, Mother," Martin said, "She's weak. She couldn't have run too far". He excused himself to order the knights and dispatch them to different surrounding areas to find the Princess.

Rena went to her magic mirror, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

It replied, "You, my dear Queen, are the fairest here so true, but Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you".

In a feat of rage, Rena hauled a glass vase toward the wall and shattered it to pieces.

"Damn it!"

* * *

><p>"Sit down."<p>

Chrome was confused but followed the hunter's instructions, watching in wonder as he knelt down and pulled at her legs, straightening them to him. Chrome blushed at his indirect touch, but was stunned when he tugged at her dress and tore it in one swift move! She could not help but scream and pulled her legs back. He had just torn the lower part of her thin dress away, revealing half of her slender legs, but because the action was not professional, there was a higher slit at her left thigh.

"You can't walk well in a dress of that length," Hibari explained coolly, as if it was a perfectly normal thing to tear a woman's clothes off after an introduction.

Chrome was not sure if she should thank him for his (perverse) consideration, but she guessed she could forgive him, since he had let her come with him (plus she did not mind as much due to his handsomeness).

"Where…should we go, Hibari-san?" she inquired meekly.

"We will continue hunting," he said, dusting his attire, "Don't get lost while you follow me".

The pair trudged through the thick forest, and Chrome tried her best to keep up with Hibari as she jumped over large roots but sometimes tripped over small rocks. It was hard to walk gracefully in this environment. She was beginning to wonder why Hibari did not ride on a horse like most hunters would when travelling. Well, maybe he just preferred walking.

After what seemed like hours, Chrome's stamina drained out and she leant against a tree, tired and hungry. She had not eaten anything since yesterday, plus she had a wild escape earlier that almost knocked the air out of her lungs, so she hardly had any strength left.

"We've only trekked through 10m," Hibari stated, intentionally or not, pouring salt over Chrome's wound that she was so weak.

"I'm sorry… Please let me rest for 5 min—" she stopped when she saw Hibari kneel behind a hedge of bushes, drawing out an arrow from his bag and placing it on the bow. Chrome looked further down the trail to find a red fox, brushing its nose through bushes as if searching for food.

Hibari tightened the arrow on the bow, aiming straight for the fox. Even Chrome had common sense to refrain from making any movement or noise that could scare the fox away. With a snappy release, the arrow pierced cleanly into the fox's neck.

Chrome was awe-inspired. Just from that shot, she could tell Hibari was highly skilled. He must be a very experienced hunter, yet he seemed so young…

"Hibari-san, do you mind if I ask how old you are?"

Hibari replied without hesitation, "20".

Wow, he was _that _young.

"I'm 18…" Chrome felt that it was only polite to tell him her age too.

He walked back to her with the fox in his hand, "Dinner".

Chrome felt rather sorry for the animal, but this was the only way for them to survive, using what Nature provided.

* * *

><p>"Hibari-san, do you remember what my favourite fruits are?"<p>

"… Do I look like your pa or ma?"

"O-Oh! Gomenasai! I-It just slipped out! Please forgive my silliness!" Chrome bowed repeatedly, embarrassed beyond description, "I-I think I wanted to ask…which fruits are safe to eat?"

"There aren't any poisonous fruits here."

Chrome gazed up the tree, "I think I'll have apples…"

Upon her request, Hibari aimed at the apples and shot down a few of them, and Chrome gathered them into her arms.

"Do we need to wash them?" she asked, careful not to drop the apples.

"Yes, so follow me."

They trekked for another 12m or so, until they heard a gushing sound. They approached a clearing, and before them was a gigantic waterfall that sparkled in the sunlight. In the shallow water at the base were big rocks that hindered some of the water flow, yet helped to create loopy ripples. This was the beauty of nature.

Hibari placed the fox and his stuff by a tree, watching the girl bend over the edge of the water and wash the apples one by one diligently. He stared at the waterfall. It had certainly been a while since he had seen one that was this tall and beautiful.

"Hibari-san, I'm done—" Chrome was horrified to see Hibari tossing his vest aside and unbuttoning his shirt. She blushed and gaped as the shirt slid off his arms and onto the ground. Her eyes became glued to his finely shaped torso. The first word to describe it was _clean_. He did not have unnecessary chest hair. In fact, his pretty face was cleanly shaved too. He was not too muscular either, and his abs did not stand out too much, which might have made them look quite hard. But the main attraction to Chrome was his broad shoulders. And his collarbones and his neck and if only he would turn around to show his back…

Chrome shook out of her trance when he began unbuckling his belt.

"W-Wait, Hibari-san! W-Why are you taking off your clothes?" she exclaimed.

He gave her a nonchalant look, "To bathe".

'_B-Bathe? In this waterfall?' _

Before she could object, he began pulling down his pants and Chrome quickly turned away, covering her innocent eyes. She heard him stepping into the water, and she peeked between her fingers to find him already soaked under the waterfall.

Chrome jolted when he spoke, "Are you coming or not?"

She blushed even redder, "I-I c-c-can't. It's okay… I'll wait for you to finish".

"Don't waste time. I won't wait for you once I'm done."

"B-But Hibari-san, I'm a girl… I can't bathe with a man…"

Hibari frowned, "What is there to be ashamed of? That's the body you are born with. That's how you are. Why care about what others may judge about you?" He bent over and began washing his hair, "It's just the two of us".

Somehow, he was making the situation sound more perverse.

Chrome sighed and placed the apples by the fox and reluctantly removed her clothes. She stepped into the water, shivering at its coldness, and walked slowly to where Hibari was.

'_I should just not look his way…' _

She reached the other end of the waterfall, feeling more self-conscious and embarrassed than ever. She could even feel his stare on her, but she tried her best to ignore it and focused on bathing instead. At least, this shower seemed more refreshing than what she had back at the prison. She wondered if the water was pure enough to drink, but she could not be picky now. Besides, Hibari was swallowing it already.

"Hibari-san?"

"Hn?"

"Do you always bathe in waterfalls?"

"No, depends on what I can find. Sometimes in lakes or rivers…"

Hibari stepped out of the waterfall, flipping his wet hair. He walked back to land and to the tree where he deposited his things. Chrome watched as he removed the arrows from the bag and reached inside, pulling out a small towel…wait, _a towel?!_

"Hibari-san, you have a towel?" Chrome asked disbelievingly.

Hibari huffed as he wiped his neck dry, "Can't find anything in the forest to make into a towel".

Chrome was relieved though, since she did not have any belonging with her. And to think she just stripped and bathed without any idea how to dry herself later…

Hibari tossed the towel to her after he was finished dressing. Chrome blushed when her nose caught his nice scent in the towel, but she was grateful he allowed her to share the same towel with him.

Chrome smiled softly. It had been a long time since she experienced such kindness.

* * *

><p>Chrome shivered uncontrollably for the umpteenth time.<p>

Well, not even at the prison was it _this_ dark. She and Hibari were seated around a fire they had painstakingly made, as they prepared to cook the ingredients for dinner: the fox, apples and some mushrooms they had found a little distance from the waterfall. Hibari had just picked a spot to settle down for the night, but Chrome's fear heightened as the darkness gradually enclosed them, and soon it was pitch black.

Her paranoid mind began imagining all sorts of creepy things that might sneak up to them, bugs crawling in mass numbers under their feet, vampire bats flying over their heads, and oh goshhhh…what if a tiger suddenly pounced on them?

"Herbivore, eat."

Chrome blinked a few times and realised Hibari was holding out a stick of food to her. She nodded in thanks and examined the stick consisting of meat from the fox, a slice of apple and a piece of mushroom. Hibari was holding another stick over the fire, and Chrome glanced down, only to feel nauseous.

The fox's abdomen had been cut open to reveal the internal organs stuffed between the bloody fleshes. The sight itself was disgusting.

Chrome's attention shifted to Hibari mending his tools. He was using a stick to sharpen a blunt piece of wood he had plucked off a tree trunk into a more effective knife, at the same time flicking droplets of blood onto the ground.

"Is the meat too raw?" he suddenly asked.

Chrome was embarrassed to be caught staring, "A-Ah…no, it's fine".

"Then eat."

Chrome obeyed and bit into the meat, her face instantly brightening, "D-Delicious…"

It was definitely heavenly compared to the shitty meat they provided at the prison. To bring out such a taste just by heating the raw flesh of the fox over a fire without addition of any seasoning, Hibari must be a good cook.

She never ate barbequed apple and mushroom before, so this dinner was the best she had in years. She found herself requesting for more as they shared the first night of campfire together.

Princess Snow White believed she was starting to enjoy the wildlife.


	3. On the Run

"_Hibari-san, what if an animal attacks us while we're asleep?"_

"_I'll finish it off."_

_When Chrome looked doubtful, Hibari elaborated, "I'm a light sleeper. Even the sound of a falling leaf awakes me. If ever there is anything that is stupid enough to disturb my sleep, I'll bite it to death"._

_The next morning, Chrome was startled to see a snake with the handmade knife stabbed into its head a few inches away from her. Apparently Hibari had killed it when he sensed its presence in the middle of the night. _

* * *

><p>The flashback of last night's events made Chrome smile as they trekked through the woods. It assured Chrome to know that Hibari was a reliable person who could protect her from the dangers of the wild.<p>

At the same time, however, Chrome was worried that she could be a burden to him. He never complained so far, but Chrome wondered if her presence disturbed him in one way or another. She could be posing danger to him as well. The knights were searching for her, and if they found out Hibari was helping her, even if he did not know anything, he would be punished severely.

"Stop daydreaming and walk faster," Hibari's voice broke her train of thoughts.

"H-Hai! Sumimasen!"

Hibari could be rather cold, but he was still her saviour. She would probably be dead by now if he was not there for her. Hibari even came up with a rule that she must be within 2m radius of him because it would be troublesome if she wandered off or got lost again. Chrome learnt that he called people 'herbivores' for a reason she had yet to decipher and his most common threat was "I'll bite you to death". None of which Chrome had dared to question.

Hibari suddenly raised his hand as a signal for her to halt. Chrome looked over his shoulder and her eyes widened in bewilderment.

Further down the trail was a group of knights which Chrome immediately recognised as members of the Dark Army. They must have suspected she was in the forest and had already caught up to her!

Biting back a scream, Chrome hid behind a tree and crouched down, trembling in anxiety. They were so damn close! She could not afford to get captured so easily! She did not want to go back to her life as their prisoner, and worse, to be killed by the Queen…

"Why are you afraid of them?"

Chrome turned and blushed at the closeness of Hibari's face to hers. He did not know they were after her, but she could not tell him. What should she say?

"M-My stepparents must have called for the knights' assistance to capture me. They must be angry that I escaped just when they were about to sell me away…"

"You told me they wanted to get rid of you because they didn't want to provide for you, so now that you're gone, why would they care and trouble themselves to find you?"

Chrome gulped, "I-I believe it's because they still wanted to gain something, such as making money by selling me to a brothel…"

Hibari nodded as if understanding and Chrome mentally patted her own back for mastering _the art of lying_.

"Please, Hibari-san…" Chrome begged pitifully, trying to squeeze out some crocodile tears, "I don't want to be caught—"

"Fine," Hibari cut in, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes, "We can't continue our journey unless we get rid of those herbivores".

Before Chrome knew it, he was gone from her side. She looked down the trail and was shocked to see Hibari shooting an arrow into the shoulder of one of the knights.

"Who are you?!" another knight shouted, drawing out his sword. But Hibari was in front of him in a split second and broke the blade in half with one of his metal sticks, which Chrome realised were tonfas. He took advantage of the knight's slow reaction to deliver a tonfa punch to his face, sending him flying to a tree.

Hibari began to effortlessly defeat the knights, sprawling them all over the dirt ground. While he engaged in a sword versus tonfa battle with a knight, he extended his leg backward and kicked off another one who was cowardly enough to attack his rear. Chrome unconsciously held her breath as she watched Hibari swing one tonfa at a knight's neck and push the other into someone else's gut.

She knew he was a strong person, a skilled hunter, but she never expected him to be such a _terrifying fighter_.

Hibari slotted his tonfas back to their holder at his thigh and strolled back to Chrome, pulling her up by her arm, "Let's go".

* * *

><p>Chrome shyly held Hibari's hand back as they rushed through the woods, trying to get as far away from the spot where the knights were as possible. Surely reinforcements would arrive soon but they would not be able to trace the pair's path since Hibari had erased their footprints.<p>

"They probably found out you came to the forest because you did not clear away your evidence," Hibari said, and Chrome hung her head, "I'm sorry… Back then, all I could think about was to run".

She held Hibari's hand a little tighter, "When…did you learn to fight so well, Hibari-san?"

"Since 12," he replied.

Chrome was impressed, "How about becoming a hunter?"

"Since 16," as usual, his answers were short and straightforward.

'_He's a hunter since that tender age? No wonder he knows so much about survival skills in the wild, and has such good instincts…' _

Chrome felt a drip of water on her cheek and glanced upward. The next instance it began to rain upon them, leaving them dumbstruck for a brief moment before Hibari sighed, "Go grab some big leaves and vines".

* * *

><p>The General of the Dark Army returned to the castle to report to Prince Martin regarding the search for his sister.<p>

"Those in the forest were attacked?" Martin exclaimed, "By whom?"

"According to one of the injured knights who regained consciousness, it was a man wielding tonfas," the General replied.

Martin was skeptical, "Tonfas? What is he, an Okinawan fighter?"

"It seems he was capable of archery too. One knight was shot in the shoulder. My hunch is he is a hunter."

"What the shit?"

"Yes, he must be a shitty jerk, and I suspect he's helping the Princess escape." (Somewhere in the forest, Hibari sneezed.)

"ARGGGH! Hurry the hell up and find them! The more you imbecile bugs delay, the more the Queen beats the crap out of me!"

"I wish you luck."

"LUCK IN WHAT?!"

* * *

><p>Hibari and Chrome managed to build a shelter using drift wood for the walls tied securely together by vines and big leaves for the roof. They cuddled under the shelter that protected them from the downpour. It was cramp, and Hibari was starting to get annoyed as his personal space was breached, but it had already been since he implemented the 2m radius rule. When would the freaking rain stop?<p>

Well, at least the herbivore beside him was quiet and kept her hands and feet to herself. Maybe that was why he did not mind her company. Plus she resembled a little animal…

Hibari took a peek at her and saw her eyelids drooping as she slowly dozed off, but seemed to be forcing herself not to lean back against the wall. It was not a really comfortable position to rest with her head buried in her arms so Hibari gently pushed her against the wall _(why were her shoulders so tense anyway)_, unintentionally waking her up.

"A-Ah! It's okay, I-I don't need to…" Chrome stuttered, but Hibari silenced her with a do-you-not-trust-my-skills-in-constructing-that-stupid-wall glare. Chrome obeyed with no further protest and fell asleep (against the sturdy unbreakable wall that Hibari Kyoya proudly built), her companion promptly following suit.

* * *

><p>Chrome had to learn to grow out of her embarrassment of showering with Hibari.<p>

After the rain ceased, the two of them went in search of a water source and discovered a huge lake basked in the orange-red glow of the sunset. Hibari then began to strip off his clothes like yesterday and Chrome was left without a choice but to do the same. And because of the rule, Chrome could not enjoy her bath at another side of the bank and was stuck beside Hibari.

Hence, they were now partially submerged in the water close to each other. The mighty Hibari was, of course, not feeling the slightest bit awkward, but Chrome still could not resist a blush.

"Hibari-san, what if a fish bites us or drags us down? I-I can't swim…" she was getting paranoid again.

Hibari was not even in the mood to face-palm, "This lake is safe".

Silence befell the two, until Hibari turned to stare at Chrome.

"Y-Yes?" Chrome inquired shyly, her hands twitching with the urge to cover her naked torso. She was glad she had long hair to partially conceal her chest. His eyes were not directed at hers, instead gazing lower…

"So you are a B-cup."

Chrome's face burst into steamy scarlet.

She certainly would have screamed and kicked Hibari's perverted ass if her conscience did not remind her they were in the forest and any commotion could draw the attention of animals (and worse, the knights, if they were still around).

How the hell could he tell her size anyway oh my freaking god…

"P-P-Please don't look!" she squeaked, turning her back to him. Little did she know her lovely back that showed off her flawless skin was stirring interest in Hibari.

"Whatever."

* * *

><p>"That girl…has always liked flowers."<p>

"Did you say something, my lord?"

"It's pointless to search for her in that vast forest if it always turns out to be an aimless hike! We need to narrow down to possibilities of where she could go, considering the fragility of her body, locations of natural resources for survival and even…her adorations."

"Adorations, you say?"

"That naïve girl may want to find temporary joys in the forest while she struggles with despair, so it's possible she goes to a place full of flowers."

"An intriguing notion, indeed."

"It's decided! General, order your men to search for areas in the forest with lots of flowers!"

* * *

><p>The next day, Chrome assisted Hibari in his archery practice.<p>

Hibari disallowed her to carve rings onto tree trunks to serve as his target boards because it was _'vandalism to public property'_, so he made her gather leaves and using the handmade knife, cut an 'X' into each of them and tie them with vines to the middle of trees that were at least 7m away. He would aim to shoot at all the 'X's.

Well, since the subject was Hibari Kyoya who possessed deadly precision with the arrow, it was not a surprise that he completed the task without a sweat. Not only did he shoot at all the 'X's, but he also shot them right in the centre.

"Sugoi… Perfect bullseye…" Chrome muttered, obviously stunned with admiration.

"On to Level 2," Hibari said. If he wore glasses, he would be tilting them up _like a boss_ or if he were a more princely character, he would be _flipping his shiny hair_…like real.

"Take down the leaves and align them on a single branch with their flat surfaces against each other."

Chrome attached the leaves to a branch as instructed and waited in anticipation for Hibari's next action.

Hibari pointed his arrow at the bunch of leaves and shot. The arrow tore right through all the centres of the 'X's on the leaves in a perfect straight line.

"Incredible, Hibari-san…" Chrome smiled.

"If the arrow is off even by two degrees, I would not have shot through all the centres and would make bigger holes in the leaves," Hibari turned to her, "Skipping practice is against the rules, but while we make use of these resources, we should minimise the damage to the environment".

Chrome was definitely touched.

"Anyway, you should learn archery too," Hibari suggested, "It trains your eyesight and accuracy. More importantly, you learn to maintain your composure".

"Composure?"

"In order to shoot well, you need to be calm and focused at all times, no matter the situation, no matter the intensity of the pressure. Just with a slight shake of your hands, the arrow may go off in its direction. By missing those few degrees, you may not hit your target."

Chrome looked at the leaves, "Soka…"

She smiled back at him, "I would love to be your apprentice, Hibari-san".

Hibari smirked, and Chrome felt her heart skip a beat. She had never seen him smile before, and wow…he looked so much more handsome.

She could not maintain her eye contact any longer and resorted to a staring competition with her torn dress.

An idea suddenly popped in her head, making her forget about Hibari's pretty smirk.

"Hibari-san, are there any flowers here?"

Hibari arched an eyebrow, "This is a forest. There are certainly wild flowers".

"I-I mean…are there any areas that have an abundance of flowers? I've always liked flowers, and I'm sorry for this random request, but could we visit one?"

"Very well. I do know of an area that has lots of flowers. It's not far."

'_He really does know his way around,'_ Chrome thought, _'maybe because of his adaptation'_.

It was unfortunate that she chose the wrong time to see flowers.

* * *

><p>The pair arrived at a little clearing, and Chrome was amazed by the large number of flowers on the bushes, grass and trees. All the flowers made up a colourful canvas, enhanced by the rays of sunlight flitting through the canopy, as if it was a magnificent art piece.<p>

"It's beautiful…" Chrome gasped.

Squatting before a bush, she gazed with dreamy eyes, "Violets". She then rushed over to a grass of lavender, "Wow…I didn't think I'll see them again. Kaa-san's favourite flowers…"

"Your mother?" Hibari asked.

"Hai. Kaa-san loves lavender. That was why although we were supposed to put lilies in her coffin, I gave her lavender…"

'_So her biological mother died,'_ Hibari thought, noticing a brief flash of sorrow on her expression before it changed back to normal as she ran to the opposite end of the clearing.

"What are these, Hibari-san?" she pointed to a bush of big pink and yellow flowers.

"Hibiscus," he replied.

"Ah!" the excited girl jumped to another bush and reached out her caressing hands to the exquisite roses, "I love these. I never knew they grow in the wild too…"

Hibari observed how the roses complimented her inviting lips…

Chrome stared up at the trees covered in different kinds of flowers, "How are all these flowers able to grow in one place, Hibari-san?"

"Coincidence."

She giggled, "You're right—"

A dagger suddenly sliced through the air, stabbing into a tree. It had missed Chrome's nose by barely a few centimetres.

Hibari immediately drew out his tonfas, dashing to Chrome's front and facing the bastard who had attempted to hurt her. However, the culprit was not just anyone.

It was the General of the Dark Army.


	4. Lessons: Part 1

"Found you."

Chrome stepped back nervously, "T-The General…"

The said man leapt down from the branch he was sitting on, "His Highness is clever indeed, or should I say that he knows you so well to guess that you will be in a place full of flowers?"

Hibari raised his tonfas in warning.

"You must be the hunter who has been helping the Princess escape," the General sneered, "If you want to avoid punishment, you should obediently return the Princess to us".

Hibari was puzzled, "Princess?"

"N-No! I-It's just a nickname. I'll explain to you l-later…" Chrome hastily lied in defence of her secret.

The General approached them menacingly, "Now, give her back to us".

"Chrome, stay out of this," Hibari nudged, and said to the General, "How about this, yellow teeth?"

"Y-Yellow teeth?!" For your information, this person hated brushing his teeth.

"If you win in a duel against me, I will give the girl to you".

The General laughed mockingly, "Just like that? Sure, I'll make a fool out of you by defeating you in the very challenge you suggested!" He attacked immediately after he finished that sentence, crashing his sword against Hibari's tonfas. With a glance from Hibari, Chrome ran off to the safety of a tree.

The men continued to exchange clashes, Hibari blocking every strike of the General's sword. When Hibari took on the offence, the General realised that he was having difficulty keeping up with the lightning fast attacks.

'_Man, this guy is dangerous!' _

Finding an opening, Hibari mercilessly smashed his tonfa into the General's side and swung his left leg up, effectively kicking the Dark Army boss to the ground.

"W-Whoa… If I wasn't wearing my helmet, my head would be broken…What a scary man."

The General jumped into the air, daggers appearing in between his fingers.

"Take this!" he shot those on his right hand down in a straight row, but Hibari dodged them easily. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Hibari released the chains of his tonfas and spun them in a circling motion, deflecting the next set of daggers thrown down.

"You don't even put up a good fight," he snorted, thrusting his tonfa into the General's abdomen the moment he landed back on the ground.

The General groaned as he lay in defeat, Hibari's foot pressing onto his chest.

"Well, it seems I don't need to hand anyone over to you," Hibari said in a tone that hinted he was somewhat pleased.

Chrome sighed in relief that Hibari was unhurt, but she could not help feeling sympathy for the General who had to suffer such a one-sided battle.

"D-Damn you!" the General's hand tried to stretch out to his unattended sword left beside him, but Hibari stepped hard onto his wrist. He then picked up the sword and stabbed its tip into the General's arm. Chrome flinched at the painful screams echoing throughout the area.

"Because of you, I'm off schedule now. If you will excuse me," Hibari gave a kick to the General's bruised face, rendering him unconscious.

Chrome emerged from the tree's shadows, "H-Hibari-san, you didn't have to go that far…"

"As you can see, I didn't kill him. I merely broke his ribs, sprained his wrist, stabbed his arm and knocked some sense into his head," Hibari deadpanned like nobody's business, "Anyway, why did he call you Princess?"

Chrome twitched, "A-Ano…the bullies in town referred to me as the Princess, since to them princesses are always pampered so they are weak and useless. Even the patrol knights that the bullies befriended called me that".

'_I'm lying again…'_ she thought guiltily.

Hibari sighed, "Well, it seems taking you as my apprentice is a necessity".

"Eh?"

"They are going to persist in finding you, but it's not possible for me to protect you all the time, so you need to learn to fight," Hibari stepped closer to her, "Be prepared for training".

* * *

><p>Rena lifted the lid of her lunch platter and stared at the lungs and liver presented to her.<p>

"And who might these be from?" she asked her chef.

"From the youngest woman in the sex slavery population," he answered.

Rena nodded, "Oh, yes". She touched her wrinkled forehead, "Yes, this is good". She had complained about her aging look due to the stress upon hearing the depressing responses from her magic mirror that Snow White was still more beautiful than her. That was probably why her chef prepared this dish for her to regain her youth.

She picked up her utensils and was about to indulge in her meal when the doors opened to reveal Martin.

She frowned, "I don't want to hear any news from you unless she has been caught".

Martin sighed, "Mother, this isn't just about her. The General had found her, but was severely injured after a fight with the hunter. Do you see it now? The hunter is hindering us. We ought to get rid of him first".

Rena placed a piece of liver into her mouth, "It just proves you guys do not live up to my expectations. Even a hunter can defeat you".

"What should we do? Please, Mother, lend us your power."

Rena stole a glance at the Prince, "Bring my magic mirror here".

* * *

><p>"It's going to take a few days to reach Namimori."<p>

"Nami…mori?"

"My village. We are currently at the north, and the village is at the south, just outside the forest. I'm going to bring you there."

That was what the pair had decided. They were going to travel to Namimori, and at the same time, Chrome would undergo combat and survival training with Hibari.

* * *

><p>"Focus," Hibari smacked Chrome on the head.<p>

"I'm sorry…" she whimpered.

It had been the third day of her training, and certainly, Hibari was a Spartan tutor. He would demonstrate once and Chrome would try it out. He would forgive her if she failed for the first time, but would hit her if she screwed up subsequently. He expected her to learn fast and well, because he hated repeating.

Chrome was beginning to get the hang of archery using Hibari's practice techniques, but so far she had only managed to achieve two bullseye. If she could not even clear Level 1 with perfect scores, Hibari would smack her again, but he was lenient in a sense that he used his hand and not the tonfa.

She lifted her arrow and bow to try shooting again, but stopped abruptly when she felt Hibari's hand on her back. He then tilted the bow up and to the left by a bit, "I told you, the arrow does not fly in a straight line but curves slightly. Take that into consideration for how to hold your bow and do not neglect the degree of accuracy".

"H-Hai!" Chrome blushed and shuddered when his hand slid up her back and to her neck, where his fingers rubbed her skin almost teasingly, before he…pinched her.

Chrome yelped and instinctively released the arrow into god-knows-where.

"I told you as well, composure is important. If you can't withstand that little tickle, don't expect to shoot properly when your entire body is in pain after a battle."

He called that pinch a tickle? For hell's sake, he not only dug his nails into her skin but also _twisted_ it (ouch).

After what seemed like forever, Chrome managed to finish Level 1.

* * *

><p>Chrome lay asleep on a mat of leaves, the crackling campfire warming up the chilly night.<p>

She stirred, feeling a little uncomfortable for an unknown reason. Her eyelids twitched open, and intuitively, she rolled her body over to the right quickly, barely dodging an arrow that could have pierced her shoulder.

Horrified, she sat up and scanned the trees, finding Hibari situated on one of the branches, smirking sadistically.

"You passed. You were able to sense danger and react to protect yourself," he leapt down and placed his bow aside, settling onto his sleeping mat with a yawn, "We will continue tomorrow".

Chrome could not believe he woke up in the middle of the night and shot at her just to test her instincts.

* * *

><p>Chrome rubbed her throbbing head. Due to Hibari's sudden midnight assault, she had been so worried that she could not sleep a wink, leading to her headache and Hibari had no choice but to suspend her archery training.<p>

He did not let her relax completely though. He proceeded to teach her how to make tools out of natural resources, such as fishing rods, which led to them sitting on a shore and well, fishing.

Chrome cringed in fear as she watched Hibari pick up a wiggling earthworm and hook it to the end of his fishing line before tossing it into the lake. He urged her to do the same but she was too afraid to hold a worm so he did it instead, but she had to cast her own line.

While they waited for a catch, Chrome's thoughts wandered to the hunter beside her. He was an aloof person who embarked on all his journeys alone, so this was probably the first time he ever fished with anyone. To Chrome, this activity was best conducted with company whereby they could enjoy the refreshing peace together and share the catching accomplishment.

Hibari did everything alone, hunting and training and sleeping in the forest. Chrome would have been scared to death if she was in his shoes, especially the last point. She could never understand how he went through all those alone…

He was a man of few words, and she was equally socially awkward, but she thought she should initiate conversations sometimes. She wanted to know him more, maybe even get closer to him. She knew by then he was her friend.

"Hibari-san…" she muttered, gaining his attention, "Do you…do you hunt for a living, or for leisure?"

"Both," he replied, "…but now, it's for leisure".

Chrome nodded, pulling her knees to her chest, "What do you do if there's a…t-thunderstorm?" Hibari noticed her reluctance to say the last word. "Will you continue to stay in the forest? I-I mean…it's dangerous to stand under trees…"

Hibari looked back to the lake, "If need be, I will find towns or villages to stay for the night. But I can't be successful all the time, especially if I approach towns".

Chrome was curious, "Nande?"

"Some townspeople cannot accept hunters. Even if they saw that I was drenched from the rain, they might not rent me a place to stay. They might even demand that I leave. I was only obligated to do so because it was their territory."

Hibari turned to Chrome with a small smirk, "Of course, I would bite them to death if they were too discourteous".

Chrome frowned, "It was mean of them to reject you like that…"

"Hunters are usually seen as bad people, killing animals and all."

"But…if you were willing to help a lost girl in the woods, how bad can you be?"

Hibari stared at Chrome with something akin to surprise in his eyes, and Chrome became flustered when she realised what she just said.

She calmed down and mused over her words. It _was_ truly how she felt.

"I…really don't think you are a bad person, Hibari-san."

She was embarrassed but encouraged herself to continue, "I think we cannot always assume hunters to be bad, such as in your case whereby you hunt for a living. And I don't think anyone is truly animal-friendly, since most of us eat meat. It's all right to hunt as long as you don't go overboard endangering the animals".

She forced herself to make eye contact, "You helped me out a lot, protecting me and training me. I'm…really thankful, Hibari-san".

Hibari was rather amused, seeing Chrome blushing and speaking like that as if she was a shy schoolgirl confessing to the man of her dreams.

So…how should he react?

1) Say "You're welcome" (kinda OOC for him).

2) Pat her head (rather tempting thing to do since her hair looked really soft and smooth).

3) Just do the usual "Hn" (yeah, perfect).

He did not have to ponder over that anymore for he felt a jerk on his fishing line, signaling he had a catch. He stood up and pulled it up to shore. The fish flapped its tail and struggled for a while before its movements completely ceased.

Hibari could see a tinge of envy in Chrome's eyes, showing her desire for a catch as well. He sat back down beside her to wait with her, internally smirking at her adorable little pout.

He reached a hand under her jaw and squeezed her cheeks, "Fishing trains your patience".

Chrome's face had never been that red.


	5. Lessons: Part 2

Chrome finally managed to complete Level 2 of the archery practice, so Hibari decided to proceed to the next phase of the training which was hand-to-hand combat.

Hibari, as usual, was a Spartan tutor who would not hold back.

Chrome squeaked as she barely dodged a punch shoved her way but was not able to avoid Hibari's kick that crashed her to the ground. She quickly picked herself up and raised her arms in a defensive stance, but Hibari easily broke through and knocked her chin.

"Your block is weak," Hibari remarked.

Chrome did not even have to scrutinise herself to know she had many bad bruises.

"P-Please let me try again."

At her request, Hibari bestowed another series of intense punches at her, which she managed to block but her arms ached at the sting.

"You're open below," Hibari elbowed her stomach ruthlessly.

"Ahh!" Chrome tumbled backward, coughing hard.

Hibari frowned, "You will die at this rate if this is a real battle".

His apprentice had a major weakness, which was the inability to fight back. All she had done until then was defence, which was not even well mastered yet. She had not the courage to try the offence.

Hibari sighed. He had wanted to address her as 'omnivore', but with her softness, there was no way he could do that.

He had beaten her many times, yet she still did not have the heart to raise a finger at him?

"Herbivore, if I wasn't your opponent, would you have fought back?"

Chrome was surprised at his query, "I…I don't know".

"If you don't try anything, it defeats the purpose of training you."

Chrome's heart sank. Did she disappoint him? She never meant to, and never wanted to. She just did not know how to fight back. She did not want to hurt him. But if she made no progress, Hibari would definitely quit training her. He had no time to spare for weaklings, after all.

"I'll…I'll do it."

If fighting back pleased him, she would do it.

"I'll fight you, Hibari-san."

* * *

><p>"She's still in the forest," Rena said to Martin after consulting her magic mirror.<p>

"… Seriously, Mother, why didn't you use your mirror earlier? We could have had an easier time finding her before," Martin complained in irritation.

Rena glared at him, "I was giving you people a chance to impress me, but you failed!"

She caressed the frame of the mirror lovingly, "Anyway, we will wait for her to get out of the forest, or the same episode of you getting defeated will rewind. We need to watch their moves. We will wipe out whoever stands in our way".

Her lips curled into an evil grin, "We will make her realise it was a _big_ mistake to escape".

* * *

><p>Chrome panted, getting somewhat frustrated by the minute. Every time she tried to hit him, Hibari would block or stop the attack midway. He was untouchable!<p>

She yelled in pain as her tutor threw a fist at her again, and before she knew it, he had tripped her over and pinned her to the ground.

"In this situation, what will you do?"

The confused girl tried to register whatever her eyes were seeing. Hibari's legs were clamping at her lower torso, his body hovering over hers and his strong hands pressing onto her shoulders. And yes…she definitely did not miss his narcissistic smirk.

Her blush surfaced.

Damn it, what should she do? (This situation seemed suspiciously similar to an encounter with a rapist, goodness.)

"A-Ano…" her blush darkened as her nervousness increased tenfold, _'D-Don't tell me he's…'_

Hibari was inwardly surprised. He thought she would (like any normal girl) scream and try to kick off the pervert, but Chrome just lay there. Was she that stunned to be unable to react? This was her chance to hit him!

Maybe he needed to do something more…something that would get on her nerves.

Okay, he decided and nope, he was not going to regret it.

Hibari leant down and _licked her face_.

Chrome was, well, frozen in shock. But the alarms in her head began ringing when she felt him move to lick her neck.

"A-AHHHHH!" out of pure instinct, she swung an arm up and accidentally slapped Hibari with the back of her hand.

Blood dripped from Hibari's split lip.

She gasped, "H-Hibari-san! I-I'm so sorry! I'm terribly sorry! A-Are you all right?"

Hibari did not tonfa her, but simply wiped the blood away with his thumb like it was no big deal, giving off a '_who-are-you-kidding-I'm-da-boss'_ aura.

"Your reaction was too slow. If I were a rapist, say goodbye to your modesty."

He got off her and she heaved herself up, her legs still wobbling like jelly.

"I'm hungry," he shot a glance at the dazed girl and wrapped a tight arm around her waist, hoisting her up and practically dragging her off, "Go get an animal".

* * *

><p>With the bow and arrow in her hands, Chrome went in search of an animal that could fill their stomachs.<p>

She soon found a young deer and prepared to shoot at Hibari's command. She knelt down and got into position, the lessons she had with Hibari going through her head like an unwinding film of memories. She tightened the arrow on the bow…

…but seemed to be unable to shoot.

Puzzled at her own hesitation, she watched the deer more closely. It was too busy eating grass to notice them.

Suddenly, a new flash of memories invaded Chrome's mind. Scenes of her past appeared, highlighting the view of a page in a picture book showing various forest animals, including a deer. She then heard an all too familiar voice, a voice she missed so much.

"_The most important thing that strengthens a bond is communication." _

'_Kaa-san!'_ without warning, a tear rolled down Chrome's face. She remembered now. When she was young, her mother would always read bedtime stories to her, and her favourite was the book about the friendship among forest animals. That was also the last story her mother read to her before she passed on.

Hibari was startled by her display of sadness out of the blue. She looked like a vulnerable little animal in pain, and his heart could not help but ache slightly at the sight. He never liked seeing small animals in discomfort.

Chrome lowered her bow, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears.

"I'm s-sorry. I…I can't shoot."

The deer then sensed their presence and ran off.

Seeing her like that, Hibari agreed to do the hunting for another animal.

It was only later that he found out the reason she had cried.

* * *

><p>They resumed their training in the afternoon.<p>

"First and foremost, get rid of your herbivorous softness. Come at me with killing intent."

"H-Hibari-san…"

"Do it or I'll bite you to death."

"D-Demo…"

Hibari felt like banging his head. This was totally no good. SHE WAS STILL GODDAMN SOFT! (Was _'I'll bite you to death'_ not a good enough threat? What would scare her into submission, _'I'll throw you into the sea'_, _'I'm friends with tigers and I'll tell them to eat you if you don't do it', 'I'll freaking abandon you in this forest'_?)

"If you can give me one punch, I'll call you 'omnivore'."

…What.

Chrome thought she could hear crickets (was he that desperate?).

However, being called 'omnivore' and not the usual 'herbivore' he used to classify everyone and everything would make her feel special (omg was she getting lured in?).

Hibari walked toward her intimidatingly, his glaring eyes piercing into hers as he backed her up against a tree. It seemed he was going to trap her and force her to do the punch.

"If you can't even do it properly in training, your chance of survival in a battle will be 0%."

She gulped. He was serious.

'_Hibari-san is strong. He won't get hurt by me. I should just do as he says…'_

She reluctantly raised her fist, but hesitated again, _'H-How should I…?'_

This woman needed some nudging, Hibari knew that. He needed to provoke her again, but it must be something more than a lick to her face since all he received back then was a slap. He took pride in everything he did, which included training her, so he must ensure she would be able to fight.

'_OKAY THAT'S IT.'_

He gripped her arms tight and _pressed his lips to hers_.

Chrome was shocked like hell.

Hibari went a little deeper, forcing himself on her lips harder, his tongue almost slipping through before his face cracked to the side due to an incredible punch.

And there Chrome screamed.

* * *

><p>Chrome was almost in tears when she saw how swollen and bruised Hibari's cheek was. She had underestimated her strength and now she felt guilty for hurting him, though Hibari had insisted it was nothing. He was actually feeling quite satisfied.<p>

Chrome watched as he cooked their dinner, a rooster, and could not help but stare at the bandage on his cheek.

Another thing that troubled her was the fact that he had kissed her. Was it a last resort to make her punch him? Why would he go to such lengths?

Hibari did keep his promise to call her 'omnivore' though.

She blushed at how nice it felt to receive such 'special treatment'.

"Oi, omnivore."

Chrome came face-to-face with a stick of chicken meat, but before she could grab it, Hibari bit off one of the pieces into his mouth. He then shuffled closer to her and leant forward till their lips met. Chrome's eyes widened in surprise, but the next second she felt his tongue push its way into her mouth and deposit the meat.

She screamed again. She was never getting used to his absurd kisses.

* * *

><p><strong>Another story with their first kiss being in Chapter 5. Seriously, I didn't plan it. It was totally coincidence. <strong>

**QTR (just something I'm curious about): If Kyoko and Haru were to have dying will flames, what attributes would they be? **

**I personally think Kyoko may have Sun/Rain and Haru may have Storm. **


	6. Namimori

The woods grew thinner and thinner as the pair travelled further. They were nearing the end of the gigantic forest, and Chrome's heart was beating in excitement. They were finally getting out of this cramped and scary place.

Not long later, they could see the awaiting sand lying beyond the edge, and Chrome almost ran out to its open arms. With a tug of her hand from Hibari, they squeezed through gaps between the trees and stepped onto the firm sand.

They were finally free. There was nothing surrounding them but fresh air, and there was nothing blocking out the sunlight. Chrome felt like a bird released from its cage. She could not describe how happy she was.

A short distance away was a group of houses which Chrome assumed to be Hibari's village. They walked to its entrance, where they stopped to gaze at the view.

Hibari sighed quietly in relief, _'It's been a while, Namimori'_.

Chrome stared in mild surprise. The village did not look like what she had expected (straw houses/huts and ragged people). The buildings were traditional Japanese styled houses aligned in a clustered manner and the people were dressed humbly in simple decent clothing. In fact, most of the women wore yukatas.

The moment Hibari made his presence known, everyone on the village grounds stopped whatever they were doing and focused their full attention on him.

"I-It's Hibari-san!"

Almost instantly, all the people bowed to him, "W-W-Welcome back, Hibari-san!"

Chrome was amazed. It seemed Hibari Kyoya was a highly respected person (YEAH RIGHT. If only Chrome noticed the people were trembling like petrified sheep about to become a wolf's breakfast).

"Call the chief," Hibari ordered a random man who immediately zoomed off like a good little puppy for fear of being 'tonfa'ed.

An elderly couple walked up to Hibari and Chrome a while later, cordially welcoming them to the village.

"Good to see you again, Hibari," the old man grinned fatherly.

"My, my. What took you so long, Hibari-kun? We were so worried!" the woman cooed, before landing her eyes on the girl standing awkwardly behind Hibari, "Oh, what a beautiful girl! Who might you be?"

"Tatsu, Misa," Hibari pushed Chrome forward, "This is Chrome. I found her in the woods. Chrome, this is the village chief, Kawahara Tatsuo, and his wife, Kawahara Misaki".

Chrome blushed and bowed deeply, "H-Hajimemashite!"

The couple was dumbfounded. Never had Hibari brought anyone, much less a girl, home after each hunting trip. He only delivered animals back sometimes. But now, he even deliberately made effort to introduce her to them.

Assumptions began circling themselves in their minds and before anyone understood what was going on, the couple began congratulating him.

"Oh my! I'm so happy for you, Hibari-kun! Finally you've decided to add a new purpose in your life!"

"Indeed, indeed. You sure have fine taste. Hey, remember you said if you are ever 'mating', you must have a traditional wedding? I can help fund it!"

"Since when…?"

"And I'll help plan it! You don't need to worry about a single thing!"

"This will be the first wedding of the year!"

"I want little Hibaris too!" (She was not even his grandmother.)

"Holy shit of Namimori, what the hell is wrong with you herbivores?"

"I-It's not like that, Kawahara-san. We are n-not…"

While Hibari cleared up the misunderstandings, Chrome could not help but smile. The couple was certainly cheerful and fun people, and she had a feeling that the rest of the villagers would be the same.

Hibari's house was at the end of the small village where it was isolated from the others since the owner greatly despised crowding.

The interior was very clean and neat, from the tatami mats, kotatsu, sheets of calligraphy on the walls to the rice paper doors, everything was in place. There was even a garden with a koi pond at his backyard. The entire house just screamed _'beautifully traditional'_!

"Go take a shower," Hibari instructed Chrome, "Misa will come over with a yukata".

It was the best shower Chrome had in years, even much better than the ones she had in the forest, and she felt fully refreshed.

She wrapped herself in a towel but realised something important, she did not have spare undergarments.

'_Oh no,'_ although embarrassed, she walked out of the toilet and went to the living room where Hibari sat at the kotatsu drinking tea. He was already in his own yukata.

He arched an eyebrow when he saw her, "Proper attire is required when walking around. The yukata is already on the table outside the toilet."

"N-No, Hibari-san, I-I don't have any new u-undergarments…" she stammered shyly.

"They are also on that table. Misa's daughter offered to lend them to you."

Chrome's eyes twinkled, "Thank you, Hibari-san. Please help me thank Kawahara-san's daughter too".

She was about to go off when another problem dawned on her.

"Hibari-san…"

"What now?"

"I…I don't know how to wear a yukata…" oh god, this was more embarrassing than the previous one. Hibari would probably think how disgraceful she was to Japanese. But it was not her fault. She was not raised with much knowledge about traditional culture and customs. She was brought up as a princess who only wore gowns, and then became a prisoner who had nothing left with her.

Hibari stood up and stalked toward her, pulling her off to the bedroom. He had her wait there while he went to get her undergarments and yukata.

He tossed the undergarments to her, a silent command for her to put them on.

Chrome was used to being nude around Hibari, so it was not difficult for her to remove the towel and let him watch her get dressed.

She stood upright and stiffened when she felt Hibari pull the yukata over her and went to her front, flipping the long sleeves over her arms and adjusting the skirt to her ankle length. She observed him wrap the left side over the right, mentally taking note of each of his movements to remember how to wear it herself next time.

Hibari tied a koshi-himo tightly to her waist and proceeded to make the ohashori and secured it with the second koshi-himo. Chrome could feel his hands through the fabric as he tugged here and there to neaten the yukata.

He then wrapped an obi around her waist and ended it as a big bow at her back.

Hibari scrutinised his masterpiece. The baby pink yukata designed with sakura prints combined with the purple obi fitted Chrome elegantly. It was as if she was shining at a whole new level.

Chrome blushed at Hibari's stare but noticed a slight change in the expression of his eyes. Replacing the usual dull indifference or bloodthirsty malice was a small glint of delight that did not linger for long, but the fact that it had been there was enough to make Chrome's heart pump in joy.

* * *

><p>They visited the Kawaharas in the evening, where the couple immediately complimented Chrome's beauty and sat her down at the kotatsu for tea.<p>

While the men engaged in their own conversation (which was simply Tatsuo doing all the talking), Misaki whispered to Chrome, "Did Hibari-kun look happy with your yukata?"

Chrome blushed, "I-I guess so, Kawahara-san".

"Oh, call me Obaasan, like everyone else does."

"H-Hai, Obaasan."

"Anyway, to tell you the truth, Hibari-kun's eye candy is girls in traditional Japanese clothing. So if you ever want to seduce him, make sure to wear a yukata or kimono!"

Chrome could not believe her ears. Hibari and eye candy did not seem to fit together. Was he not only interested in small (cute) animals?

"Don't ever expect him to blush though. His skin is too thick to let you see even a vein, much less a volume of blood rushing to his cheeks (my own reasoning). All you can probably see is a vague hint of happiness in his eyes. Not many girls had been able to attract him to look for more than three seconds, but I'm sure you did!"

"Obaasan! Ojiisan!" a new voice grabbed the attention of the adults and they turned to see two children run up to them, cuddling to the elderly couple's sides.

"Ah, Hibari-san is back!" the boy with black hair and green eyes cheered when he saw the hunter, who scoffed ('cause damn, more crowding).

"Introduce yourselves to this ojouchan, children," Misaki said, gesturing to Chrome.

"Waaah, she's pretty!" they squealed in unison, and the girl with a ponytail under her jaw-length hair bowed politely, "My name is Yuni. I am Obaasan's adopted granddaughter".

Chrome was surprised. She was an adopted child? Her eyes were so big and bright, and her smile was dazzling.

The boy spoke up next, "I'm Takanori, Yuni's (self-proclaimed) cousin!"

Chrome smiled in return, "Hello, I'm Chrome".

"Nice to meet you, Chrome-neesan!" Yuni beamed sunnily, "Ah, since you're wearing a yukata, may I help you tie your hair?"

Chrome agreed, and Yuni skipped to her back and tied her hair into a French braid. In addition, she placed an artificial flower at the top left corner of her head.

Yuni clapped merrily at her handiwork while the Kawaharas and Takanori praised Chrome's new look. The Princess smiled at Yuni. She liked this child.

"Where do you come from, oneesan?" Yuni inquired.

"No need for details," Hibari interjected icily.

Misaki giggled, "Let's just say she's Hibari-kun's girlf- I mean _friend_".

"Hibari-san has friends?" a vein popped in the said man's head.

"Of course, Takanori! Now before anyone gets 'tonfa'ed, let's go outside. Remember the villagers are playing firecrackers and making rice cake tonight?"

Misaki quickly led the children (who could not read the eerie atmosphere courtesy of a fuming hunter) out of the house. Hibari relaxed at the reduced crowding and Tatsuo laughed, "Since the ojouchan is new here, why don't you show her around, Hibari?"

"A-Ah, it's all right, Kawahara-san—"

"Fine," Hibari stood up and walked out. Chrome bowed to excuse herself from Tatsuo and followed him.

At one corner of the village, adults were making rice cakes, while at another corner, children, including Yuni and Takanori, were playing with firecrackers.

Hibari approached the rice cake area and demanded for one, which was instantly given to him in a paper bag. He passed it to Chrome, telling her to eat.

Chrome bit into the rice cake, her cheeks flushing at how delicious the flour and sweet bean mixture was. She held it to Hibari, "Please try it, Hibari-san".

Not wanting to be fed, he grabbed it from her and ate it without comment.

Chrome was then invited to play with the children until the activities were over.

* * *

><p>"I thought you should try my fortune-telling, oneesan," Yuni gently pulled Chrome back to the Kawaharas' house as the others followed behind.<p>

They entered the young girl's bedroom where Chrome and Yuni sat facing each other at a table with a mysterious crystal ball on top.

"I hope you don't mind the darkness, oneesan. I'm sorry that my fortune-telling needs to be done like this," Yuni had all the lights switched off, leaving only the faint blue glow of the crystal ball illuminating the room.

Chrome inwardly smiled, _'I'd been trained to overcome my fear in the forest'_.

"Yuni's fortune-telling is 99.9% accurate," Misaki said proudly, "She has the psychic ability of predicting the future, and many villagers had sought her consultation on all kinds of matters".

Chrome glanced at Hibari as if asking whether he believed in such 'supernatural' stuff, but he just shrugged.

"Please place your hands on the crystal ball, oneesan, like this," Yuni demonstrated by putting her own hands on the ball. Chrome followed albeit uncertainly, and Yuni closed her eyes as if communicating with the crystal ball.

She twitched and furrowed her brows, "What's this…?"

"What's wrong, Yuni?" Misaki asked.

"The crystal ball is diverting from my question about Chrome-neesan's future and trying to tell me something else, something important…"

Chrome grew a little worried, and Hibari became a little more interested.

Yuni suddenly shot her eyes open with a gasp, "I-It can't be. You're…"

All the onlookers stared at Chrome.

"You're Princess Snow White!"

Chrome was horrified, how did she find out? Just with that crystal ball, she uncovered her true identity that she had been trying so hard to conceal?

"N-NO!" Chrome jumped up from her chair but before she could run, Hibari grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back. Chrome panicked, knowing that she was doomed.

"I-Iie! Onegai, Hibari-san, d-don't bring me back…" tears welled in her frightened eyes as she sank to her knees, shivering in distraught, "I don't want…I don't want to—"

"Tell me the truth," Hibari whispered into her ear, his tone less harsh than Chrome expected.

"Ojouchan, are you really the Princess?" Tatsuo asked disbelievingly.

Chrome gripped her own arms, her head hung low. Misaki knelt by her side and kindly patted her back, assuring her they were willing to hear her out.

Chrome cried.

* * *

><p>"See you tomorrow!" Yuni cheerfully waved Hibari and Chrome goodnight as they left the Kawaharas' house.<p>

The pair walked to Hibari's house in silence. Chrome stared at the hunter's back. She had confessed everything to him, Tatsuo, Misaki, Yuni and Takanori. However, it was because of that she felt an air of tension between them, as if the revelation that she was the Princess prevented Hibari from behaving casually around her. Or did he perhaps feel betrayed? After all, he had stayed by Chrome without knowing anything but lies.

Biting her lip, Chrome ran forward and wrapped her arms around him. Jolting from her hug, Hibari turned to look at her.

"Hibari-san, I'm sorry," Chrome murmured, squeezing his waist tighter, "I'm sorry for insulting you. But please, treat me like before. Talk to me like you always do, don't hold back on beating me, call me 'omnivore'… I don't want our friendship to be affected by this".

Hibari pondered over her words. Truthfully, he was not angry at her, just surprised. The Princess that everyone thought was gone from royal legacy was beside him all along. Now he had all the more reason to protect her with his life. It was common knowledge that the Queen was crazy and would use extreme means for her beauty's salvation, but he would never let Snow White get in harm's way, not under his supervision.

He broke loose from her hold and faced her, "Your real name is Nagi, am I right?"

Chrome blinked, and nodded.

"I'll call you that from now on, and yes, I'll call you 'omnivore' too (since you really like it)."

Chrome smiled, relieved that things were back to normal.

They reached his house soon and Hibari did the honour of undressing her and changing her into sleeping yukata (surprisingly he did not make her do this job herself). Chrome reluctantly undid the braid Yuni tied for her and snuggled in the futon with Hibari, blushing as this was the closest she had ever slept with him.

But of course, she had always liked the warmth he gave her.

* * *

><p>Chrome awoke with a start in the middle of the night and rushed out of the futon, unaware that she had accidentally kicked Hibari's leg. She quickly crawled into the closet and locked herself inside.<p>

Hibari, although pissed by his disturbed sleep, was more confused. He was also awakened by the roar of thunder due to the heavy rain outside, but never expected such a big reaction from Chrome.

He approached the closet and unlocked the doors, revealing Chrome cowering inside with her hands to her ears. She was shuddering and sobbing miserably, just like the time when she lost the will to shoot the deer. He felt the same ache of his heart again.

He understood then, she had astraphobia.

He reached out a hand to her head, giving her a gentle rub. Her breathing became less ragged, but when a lightning struck near the house, she screamed and cried harder. Hibari carried her into his arms like cradling a child, and despite her weak resistance, laid her back on the futon.

Chrome pried her watery eyes open to see Hibari on top of her.

"You're in a house. The lightning can't hurt you. As a double protection, here I am as a human roof. Do you still feel insecure?"

Chrome remembered how she had to deal with her fear in the prison alone. She always tensed up even if it was just a drizzle, and during a thunderstorm, she had to hide under the bed and cry herself to sleep. There was no one to comfort her.

But now, it was different.

Hibari nuzzled his face against her neck, pressing a soft kiss to her skin.

With him, she could do anything.

* * *

><p>This time, Hibari awoke first, and certainly, he was ready to go on a rampage. For god's sake, it was only twilight! What the hell was wrong with him getting uninterrupted sleep? Someone was going to die.<p>

He heaved himself from Chrome's body. Strangely, the room felt rather hot. Did it not just rain a while ago? The heat seemed to be seeping from the living room.

Hibari's instincts began tingling and he shook Chrome awake, urgently dragging her out of the bedroom.

"H-Hibari-san? Ah!" Chrome exclaimed as she saw the rice paper doors engulfed in fierce flames, "W-Why is it…?"

Hibari wasted no time and grabbed an extinguisher from the kitchen, putting out all the fire in an instance. Checking that there was no other hazard in his house, he pulled Chrome outside but they halted at the scene before them.

The entire village was burning. People were scrambled about, trying to avoid the raging flames while shielding each other from the onslaught of the unknown intruder. In the distance, Chrome spotted a black flag with a red horse raised high in the air. It only meant one thing.

The Dark Army was here.


	7. The Seven Dwarves

Chrome stared in horror, "N-Nande… How did they…?"

"They are an efficient bunch. They found us."

Chrome glanced at Hibari, and could not help but feel a shiver down her spine at the fierce look in his eyes. He was furious.

Villagers shrieked and ran as the structures of the houses collapsed, hitting some of them. The knights grew more aggressive as they threatened to use their large horses to stomp on the people if they did not get out of the way.

Hibari narrowed his eyes, "Nagi, they are searching for you. Go back to my house".

However, Chrome was not listening, "Y-Yuni…and Obaasan, and…"

She suddenly sprang off, ignoring Hibari's protest, "Oi, Nagi!"

Clicking his tongue, Hibari hurried back to his house, retrieved his weapons and climbed onto the roof, where he could get a bird's eye view of the entire situation. His hawk-like sight enabled him to see the (lazy) General at the entrance of the village, not participating in the raid.

He needed to find the reckless Princess, but first he had to defeat the knights. Some men who had fighting experience were fending them off, though without much avail.

Hibari examined his bag of arrows. He only had three left. He reached into his yukata pocket, pulling out a ring with a cloud symbol. He was going to need this.

Putting the ring onto his right middle finger, he readied his arrow which was slowly glowing in violet flames channeled from the ring, and shot.

The arrow propagated into multiple others in mid-air, hitting several knights and making them fall off the horses, where the villagers could gang up and easily beat them to pulps.

Hibari performed the trick again, successfully shooting many knights and horses down. He was going to make them pay for ruining his Namimori.

Meanwhile, Chrome dashed behind rows of houses to avoid being seen, arriving at the Kawaharas' house. She entered through the back door, calling, "Yuni! Obaasan!"

She rushed into the kitchen, bumping into someone, "T-Takanori!"

The boy whimpered, "P-Princess…"

"Daijobu? Where's Obaasan?"

"Your Highness!" Misaki appeared from behind Chrome, "What are you doing here? They're after you! You have to go!"

Chrome almost cried in relief, "I'm so glad you're all right… But where's Yuni?"

"I-I don't know, Princess. Yuni woke us up not long ago, saying she had a nightmare (or rather premonition) that someone's gonna attack us, and now it really happened! The bedrooms were destroyed and in the hustle and bustle of hiding in the kitchen, we realised Yuni had gone missing so Tatsuo went out to look for her, but got caught up in the fight…"

Chrome widened her eyes forebodingly.

Just then, Hibari crashed through the kitchen window, supporting an injured Tatsuo. His temple was bleeding from a deep cut and there was a slash on his left arm, possibly from a sword. Hibari threw him to Misaki's care.

The old woman exclaimed anxiously, "My dear, what happened to you?"

The chief winced, "Got crushed under a house when trying to save a kid, and then assaulted by a knight. I would have been killed if not for Hibari".

The said hunter frowned at the Princess, "I did not say the 2m radius rule was lifted".

Chrome frantically clung to him, "Hibari-san, we have to find Yuni! We have to help them!"

"We cannot have that," Hibari said sternly, "We are going. The Army must not find you".

"No! They're dying because of me! I can't just cause this and run off!"

"Indeed, they're dying. Our evacuation by boat failed because the knights destroyed our equipment."

"Hibari-san!" Chrome was crying by then.

The galloping of a horse near the house stole their attention from the argument, and the next thing they heard was the sickening cracking of thick bone.

Tatsuo gritted his teeth. Though the others were clueless, he knew exactly what happened. After all, he had been a witness to the crush of a man's skull by the hooves of a horse.

He exchanged glances with his wife, who nodded and spoke to Chrome, "Princess, please leave with Hibari-kun. We will handle things here".

Chrome shook her head, "No, Obaasan, please—"

Misaki placed a caressing hand on her face, "It's our honour to protect you with our lives".

Hibari grabbed Chrome by the waist, forcefully dragging her away even as she struggled and clawed the air uselessly.

Misaki's pained smile was the last thing she saw.

* * *

><p>By dawn, Hibari had brought Chrome all the way to another forest, where Chrome's stamina drained out and she collapsed onto a log. Ever since then, she had been breathing irregularly and trembling uncontrollably as her mind kept replaying the terrible incident in Namimori.<p>

Her turmoil grew worse as the recollection continued. Images of houses being burnt down and people screaming and dying flashed crazily in her head like a spoilt disc. The thought of Yuni's disappearance and leaving the Kawaharas behind was the final straw.

Chrome let out a long scream, wailing into her hands.

"_It's our honour to protect you with our lives."_

She could not believe Misaki's words. What kind of honour was that? How could they be contented to sacrifice themselves for her? Because of her, their entire village was gone. A lot of people died. Plus, they were innocent. They did not even know she was the Princess. She just stepped into the village as a guest, and the next thing everyone knew was a sudden attack.

Chrome wondered why she did not have the courage to surrender herself to the army. That way, the villagers could be spared. They did not have to die for her.

None of this would have happened if she did not escape from the castle in the first place…

She felt a hard slap on the back of her head, jolting her back to reality. Turning around, she looked up at Hibari, feeling guiltier than ever.

More tears welled in her eyes, _'Because of me, he had to suffer too…'_

"Look here," Hibari spoke up, "This is what the Queen wants you to feel,_ regret_. She knows your weakness. She wants you to _regret_ escaping and involving innocent people in your affairs. Don't get lured into her trap. I won't let you voluntarily return to her after everything that happened".

His eyes softened, "Omnivores don't back down from a fight so easily".

Chrome understood clearly. It could be translated to _"Don't give up yet"_.

He lost his home, he lost his people, but he still wanted to carry on the journey with her, so she must not give up yet.

Her emotions stabilising, Chrome slowly stood up.

Hibari took a look at the ring on his finger, making Chrome notice it too.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Something I got from a group of…weird herbivores," he replied, "Right now, I'm going to bring you to them".

Chrome widened her eyes, "N-No, we can't—!"

"You don't want to involve any more people, yes. But this time, it's better to. They're fighters."

Although she was still reluctant, Hibari pulled her with him.

The mysterious ring sparkled under the sunlight.

* * *

><p>Rena was seething in rage.<p>

Even with the surprise attack, Snow White still managed to escape right under their noses. The Army was desperately continuing the search operation for fear of receiving the Queen's punishment.

Why was it so hard to catch that girl? She had planned everything just to hit the Princess's weak spot, but she seemed unaffected.

'_Unless…'_ something dawned on Rena, _'…it's just like Martin said. The hunter is the key. He's supporting her. He saw through the raid and ensured Chrome did not fall prey'_.

Rena narrowed her eyes. The operation needed to change its objective.

* * *

><p>Chrome was surprised when they arrived at their destination.<p>

It was a lovely cottage in the heart of the forest, but according to Hibari, it had very tight security. A 20m radius invisible barrier was set up around the cottage and anything within it would be detected on their radar. In addition, the 'guests' also ought to beware of the numerous (herbivorous/lame in Hibari's words) booby traps.

Chrome gulped, "It sounds like a dangerous pla— WAAAAH!"

Before she knew it, she had fallen into Booby Trap #1: an artificial patch of earth that led the victim down to a trench (where a colony of bugs awaited).

Hibari grumbled, "That's why I said they're so childish". He looked into the trench, seeing Chrome stuck at the bottom and screaming her lungs out while trying to fight off the insects (which were rather happy seeing such a beautiful human).

He walked to the cottage's door which had a box with a hole for the knob. He lit his ring's flame and inserted it into the hole, unlocking the door.

Chrome had begun climbing up the trench painstakingly when a rope was slipped down to her. She gratefully pulled herself up with it, grabbing Hibari's outstretched hand.

"You dirtied your yukata," Hibari said.

"I…I'm sorry—" Chrome cut short in her apology when she saw they had company.

There were seven infants, all dressed in different coloured outfits.

The one in red with silver hair (looking like chibi Santa Claus) spoke gruffly, "Who is she?"

"She's Princess Snow White."

All the infants turned to stare at Hibari.

"N-No way! You found her, Hibari-san?" the child in orange with spiky brown hair exclaimed.

"No wonder she's pretty TO THE EXTREME!" the one in yellow sure had a loud voice.

The clamouring of the other infants did not reach Chrome's ears as she touched Hibari's arm, "Hibari-san, are they…?"

"Yes. They're the seven dwarves who live here."

An infant clad in a suit and fedora walked up to them, "Ciaossu, Hibari".

Hibari smirked at him, and the baby turned to Chrome, "Why don't you join us for tea?"

* * *

><p>Chrome sat awkwardly at a low wooden table with Hibari and the dwarves. While the hunter explained the situation to them, she took her time to admire the cottage. There was a fireplace, couches, staircase, book and tableware shelves and a few potted plants. It was not as spacious and clean as Hibari's house, but was still comfy-cozy.<p>

"No wonder you're in a yukata," she heard the dwarf in indigo snicker, "I thought you just got out of bed".

Hibari shot a piercing glare at him, and anyone could deduce those two were at loggerheads with each other.

"Maa, maa, let's not fight," the blue dwarf (who clearly played the mediator role) chuckled and grinned at Chrome, "I guess we should introduce ourselves, eh? I'm Yamamoto Takeshi". He offered a friendly handshake, which Chrome accepted with a smile.

"R-Right!" the orange dwarf quickly composed himself, "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but please call me Tsuna. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"He is our outstanding leader," chibi Santa Claus said proudly and bowed (who knew he could be so polite), "and I'm his loyal right-hand man, Gokudera Hayato".

"I'M SASAGAWA RYOHEI!" the yellow dwarf shouted with enthusiasm, punching his fists in the air, "MY MOTTO IS 'KYOKUGEN'!"

"Stupid lawn head, don't behave so rowdily in front of the Princess! Show some respect!" Gokudera chided, and they started a random bicker.

The dwarf in green with yellow horns in his curly hair walked shyly up to Chrome, giving a short bow, "My name is Lambo. I-I've always been a fan of yours, Princess…"

"WTH, ahoushi!"

"Yare, yare, ahoudera, I'm talking to my idol. Don't interrupt, will you?"

Further chaos ensued.

Hibari rubbed his temple, knowing a headache was coming.

The indigo dwarf leapt onto the table, holding Chrome's hand and kissing it, making her blush, "A pleasure to meet you, my lady. I'm Rokudo Mukuro". Chrome was attracted to his unique charm, but what was with his pineapple hair…

Hibari's mental fuse burst and he began throwing a tantrum at Mukuro.

"Don't mind it. This happens often," the fedora dwarf jumped onto Chrome's lap, "I'm Reborn, by the way".

Chrome smiled, "All of you are adorable".

"You would probably like to know more about us, wouldn't you? After all, you're under our care now. We're aware of your situation, and we will protect you by all means."

"Thank you…"

"We call ourselves the Vongola Famiglia, consisting of seven dwarves, each wielding a ring of a certain element of the Sky."

Chrome was reminded of Hibari's ring, "Hibari-san has one too…"

"Yes. Even though he isn't of the same kind as us, we had him join after we discovered his compatibility with the Cloud ring," Reborn smirked, "He's a talented one indeed".

Chrome could not agree more, smiling fondly at the said man (who was still fighting with the thick-skinned pineapple).

"Tsuna naturally produces a Sky flame so he becomes the Boss. Gokudera has Storm, Yamamoto is Rain, the ahoushi is Lightning, Ryohei has Sun, and Mukuro is Mist."

"What about you, Reborn-san?"

"I'm a Sun. My role in this family is Tsuna's tutor, but I can help nurture the others as well."

He looked up at Chrome, "I wonder what flame you have, Princess".

Chrome was excited to find out too. Reborn gave a loud clap to cease all the nonsensical commotion, "The Princess would like to know what her dying will flame is. Would anyone be _so kind_ as to bring forth a spare ring?" The infant was smiling, but his voice was definitely laced with menace and sarcasm. Everyone shuddered.

"H-Here, Reborn!" obedient Tsuna (or rather he was afraid to die) immediately handed him a ring without a symbol carved on.

Reborn slipped the ring onto Chrome's finger, "Now, Princess, there is something else besides blood running in the human body, _life energy_ that flows in waves. The ring receives the wave and refines it into high density energy that appears in the form of a flame".

"But Reborn, you can't just ask her to make a flame all of a sudden!" Tsuna protested, "She needs to find her dying will, her resolve!"

"Resolve…?" Chrome blinked curiously.

"Is that how you do it, Tsuna? For me, I just vroom and vola! The flame is out!"

"Stop showing off, yakyu baka! Boss is right! She needs to imagine her resolve like a flame."

Chrome was about to seek Hibari's advice when Mukuro said, "He's a special case. I don't think you should ask him".

"Shut up, pineapple," Hibari snarled, before telling Chrome, "Just get pissed".

"THAT'S WRONG!"

Chrome sighed, focusing back on the ring. She tightened her fist, closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

Although she did not really get it when they talked about dying will and resolve, she wanted to produce a flame, not for fun, but because she knew it could be important (that was why Hibari had the ring, right? He would not keep something that was useless). When the time came, she wanted to fight alongside everyone.

'_I want to…become stronger and protect everyone.'_

An indigo flame lit from the ring, surprising all of them.

"Oya, you're a Mist too. Looks like we're gonna get along!" Mukuro sparkled merrily with floating flowers while a huge contrast of atmosphere loomed around Hibari who turned to stone upon realising the Princess possessed the same flame as his damn rival.

Chrome gazed at her flame, "How can I use it?"

"Different flames have different characteristics. For Mist, it's construction. Since I know it best, I can teach you."

"Really? I'll be glad to learn from you, Mukuro-sama!"

A rock crashed onto Hibari's head.

"Oh, you need not address me so formally, Princess."

"But it suits you…" she unconsciously pleaded him with puppy eyes.

"All right, I am honoured indeed. We can begin our lesson tomorrow."

"Hai!"

Rain poured on Hibari's parade when he realised Chrome was developing a buddy-buddy relationship with Mukuro. Today, his luck must be bad.

The rest of the day was spent with Tsuna's no goodness (leading to Reborn's world-number-one-hitman tutoring), Gokudera's grumpiness, Yamamoto's laughter, Ryohei's EXTREMENESS, Lambo's laziness, Mukuro's kufufus and Hibari's kamikurosus.

And Chrome, being Chrome, just enjoyed it all.

* * *

><p>They finally settled down around a campfire for dinner, reminding Chrome of her wildlife experiences with Hibari.<p>

The dwarves then decided to make the night more interesting.

"Let's play music!"

Before Hibari and Chrome knew it, they had brought out all sorts of instruments (Tsuna: clarinet, Gokudera: piano, Yamamoto: guitar, Lambo: accordion, Ryohei: drums, Mukuro: violin) and began to sing.

"_There's a stray cat in my backyard~"_

"_It learns to eat the green, green grass~"_

"_It claims its might by yelling at the wall~"_

"_It shreds all the birds to deaaaath~"_

"_Oh, annoying it is, annoying it is, will anyone tell me…~"_

"…_WHY WON'T IT GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BACKYARD?!"_

Hibari was going to die of irritation if he did not look at Chrome. Her soft amused giggles were the _real_ music to his ears and with her crossed fingers and red cheeks, the entire sight of her was endearing.

While the dwarves continued partying in their lala land, Chrome moved toward Hibari and leant against him, hugging his arm. Hibari flinched at the affectionate contact, but was more surprised Chrome did something like this without a sign of shyness.

He quietly glanced at her, seeing her blissful expression showing she was enjoying the dwarves' liveliness. He knew since she met them that she had grown an attachment to them.

After all, she was someone who would never reject the idea of a family.

* * *

><p><strong>Imagine chibi Tsuna and co. playing instruments and singing around a campfire, how cute can that be? Dwarf Lambo is in the form of chibi TYL Lambo, if you didn't know. Basically the seven dwarves are chibis. <strong>


	8. Brother

Everyday life with the seven dwarves was an adventure for Chrome.

She enjoyed every sushi making session with Yamamoto. She pampered on Lambo. She laughed with Ryohei as he swung on vines from tree to tree like Tarzan, except he shouted "KYOKUGEEEEEN!" instead of monkey calls. She liked interacting with Gokudera, knowing he might behave like a rough delinquent but actually had a soft heart. She respected and adored Reborn very much. She appreciated Tsuna's kindness toward her and, even if he denied it, she believed he was a great Boss.

Of course, her best times were spent with Hibari and Mukuro. They were in charge of teaching her how to use her Mist flame in combat, but always ended up fighting each other. Reborn even named it _'The Daily Pineapple vs Tonfa Fight'_. Chrome did not mind it in the least. It was entertaining to watch those two.

She did learn something though. Mukuro told her that the Mist flame was naturally soft, but when concentrated at a small area, it could cut through even metal. Chrome had tried this theory out through archery, whereby she concentrated her flame at the tip of her arrow. When she shot, the arrow cut something in the air before slicing a branch, leading her to discover Booby Trap #2: an invisible metal cage hung from a tree, ready to capture anyone that lurked below. Her arrow had destroyed the edge of the cage.

Mukuro taught her how to create illusions as well, much to Hibari's displeasure. It had taken a while for Chrome to receive his approval.

Hibari stayed by a side while Mukuro emphasised to Chrome the importance of controlling one's perspective and consciousness while altering the opponents' sense of reality for the illusion to be successful.

Chrome had more talent than anyone thought. She was able to create a strong illusion at first try, although it was not something they anticipated.

Mukuro fell flat on his face as a big ball of roses suddenly slammed down on him. Hibari almost laughed.

"I-I'm sorry, Mukuro-sama! I-It was the first thing I imagined!"

Mukuro coughed as he tried to crawl out from under the rose hill, "It's all right. In fact, this is a good trick that catches people off guard".

Hibari could see that he was totally acting macho, because his little body was no doubt twitching in pain from being pricked by the thorns.

"Nagi, think of something you dislike."

"Eto…"

"Oi, don't interfere with our lesson and sit there like a good little skyLARK!"

Mukuro's cute chubby face met the ground again when it began raining pineapples, dozens bouncing off his head.

Hibari really wanted to laugh.

* * *

><p>"How's your training?" Reborn asked when Chrome joined him for tea.<p>

She smiled, "As wonderful as ever".

"Soka? What are those two doing?"

"Mukuro-sama is throwing pineapples at Hibari-san."

"That explains a lot."

Chrome giggled, tapping a finger on Leon who was resting on Reborn's fedora. He was a shape-shifting chameleon that produced special bullets containing Sun flames for his hitman master who did not use a ring like how the others did. He also spun threads to make a new dress for her.

Suddenly, Leon leapt onto the table and changed into a round plate, a network of circles and lines on the surface.

"W-What's wrong?" Chrome was alarmed by the chameleon's behaviour.

Reborn looked at Leon, "He's displaying our security radar. Someone has entered our territory. Stay here, Princess".

Chrome was left alone in the cottage, but after a few minutes, someone opened the door.

Her face brightened at the sight of Hibari, "Is everything all right?"

Hibari did not reply, merely gesturing Chrome to go out and check what happened.

Chrome approached the area where the dwarves had gathered, gasping when she saw what they were examining.

It was a knight…with a toilet suction pump on his face.

"W-W-Why is he…?"

"Ah. It looks like he fell into Booby Trap #3," Gokudera explained, "With my mechanic skills and lawn head's 'creativity', we came up with this idea to leave a litter of banana peels here where a weight sensor is buried in the ground. The sensor closes a switch that triggers the suction pump hidden in the tree to extend down to the intruder. You see, when the idiot slips on the banana skins and falls, he is likely to land facing up, so the extra punishment is to get a dirty suction pump to his face".

Chrome was speechless. Who knew the dwarves would take such a calculative and disgusting approach for a booby trap?

"The underground sensor and suction pump are connected by wires camouflaged in the tree—"

"Enough, ahoudera. Nobody cares about that. What are we going to do with this?" Lambo gave a tiny kick to the knight's arm.

Gokudera clicked his tongue, "Well, get rid of him, of course!"

"Wait," Reborn spoke up, "This is a bad sign. If a knight is here, it means the Army is close by. The Princess is at risk".

Chrome was worried.

"Maybe they aren't that close," Yamamoto tried to ease the tension, "Perhaps this fellow just wandered off further than the rest".

"Why don't we split up and find out where they are?" Tsuna suggested, "Reborn can stay here with the Princess. If anything happens, we can warn each other".

Everyone agreed and the plan was carried out.

* * *

><p>An hour passed by and there was no news from the dwarves and Hibari. Chrome grew more anxious by the minute. She prayed that nothing bad happened to them.<p>

Reborn sat in silence. His intuition was telling him that something was off, but he could not figure out what it was.

Leon let out a squeak and changed into the radar thingy, but with a blinking orange dot.

"Is that…Tsuna-kun's location?" Chrome inquired.

"Aa. He's sending a distress signal."

This was not good. Tsuna must be in some sort of pinch and Reborn should help, but he did not think it was safe to leave the Princess here alone.

"Reborn-san," Chrome spoke up, "Please help Tsuna-kun. I'll be fine. I'll create a barrier around the cottage just like how Mukuro-sama did".

Reborn still hesitated, but unwillingly agreed, "All right, I'll be going. Don't leave the cottage".

With that, he hopped off to find Tsuna and Chrome quickly formed a protective barrier with her illusionary power, sealing herself from the outside.

'_Everyone, please be safe,'_ she prayed.

* * *

><p>Chrome could feel a presence at the edge of the barrier, and she warily peeked through the peephole to see who it was. Smiling, she opened the door.<p>

"Hibari-san!" she cheered.

The hunter could not move closer to the door as if blocked by an invisible wall, "What is this?"

"Ah, gomen, I made a barrier. Let me remove it," she did so and he could approach her.

"…You're alone?" he asked.

"Hai, Reborn-san had to help Tsuna-kun. Are you all right, Hibari-san? Did you get in trouble with the knights?"

"I'm fine," he held Chrome's hand and pulled her out of the cottage.

"W-Where are we going?" she stumbled after him as they went into the woods.

Hibari did not answer. Chrome found something strange. His hand was rather cold. Having held it before, she knew its warmth better than anyone.

They reached a clearing where he turned around and faced her.

Come to think of it, his aura was a little different, a little…darker.

Hibari suddenly smiled at her, but it was not his usual smirk or even a genuine smile Chrome imagined he could make. It was a sly smile that was not his, that seemed all too familiar to her…

She shuddered, raising a hand to her gaping mouth.

"Oni…sama?"

He let out a chuckle, "Took you long enough to realise".

Chrome twitched, "D-Don't speak in Hibari-san's voice! Show yourself!"

Cloudy mist surrounded his entire form and his silhouette shifted. When the mist dispersed, Prince Martin stood before her.

Chrome clenched her fists. She was tricked…by an illusion of all things. While she did not know her brother possessed such ability, she found it disgraceful to be fooled by something she had been trying to master. This was probably what Mukuro had warned her about, that while illusionists' strength was illusions, their weakness could also be illusions if they did not manage to control their own perspective.

"You're still as naïve as ever, Chrome," Martin snickered, "Or do you perhaps love your hunter so much, to trust him and follow him without a doubt?"

Chrome glared at him. She would never forgive him for using Hibari that way.

"Mother's mirror certainly comes in handy at times like this. Just ask it for your location and here you are," he continued to brag, "Right now, our priority is to separate you and the hunter, then it will be no problem capturing you afterwards…"

"Onisama, you were responsible for the attack on Namimori, weren't you?" Chrome muttered.

"Oh, that. Yes, of course. It wasn't for nothing. We managed to capture a few women for Mother…"

Chrome jolted at his words, "D-Did you capture Yuni as well?!"

Martin scratched his head, "Yuni? Ah, I think there was such a girl when we checked them…"

Chrome's eyes flashed with anger.

Martin walked toward her, a hand outstretched, "Now, come. Let's return to Mother".

"N-No!" she hurriedly summoned a barrier that sealed her like a bubble, but out of nowhere a hand crashed in from behind her, grasping her shoulder. Before she knew it, she had her knees on the ground and arms held by two knights.

"Hahaha! Your barrier's as thin as paper! Anyone can tear through it!" Martin laughed mockingly, "You're as weak as ever after all!"

"L-Let go of me!" she tried to yank her arms out of the knights' death grip but to no avail. Her brother was drawing closer to her and she needed to defend herself…

"_When your arms are restrained, what other tools do you have?" _she suddenly remembered Hibari's words when they were training.

'_My legs!'_

She did a complete split, kicking the knights' feet from under them. She was glad Leon had made a middle length dress.

Long thorny stalks of roses shot out from the ground and wrapped around the knights, restricting their movements.

"Ooh~ so you know how to use illusions as well," Martin whistled.

Chrome then summoned an illusion of the first weapon that came to her mind, archery. She pointed the arrow at him, "Return the women!"

Martin feigned cluelessness, "What are you talking about?"

"Give Yuni…give her back to me!"

"Not listening~" with a flick of his fingers, the illusions around the knights were destroyed and they charged toward the unguarded Princess and seized her like before, except they also stomped on her ankles. She yelled out in pain, dropping her bow.

In addition, Martin bound to her an illusion that paralysed her whole body.

"Now, unless you want to get hurt, stay still like a good girl," he raised his hand as if ready to cast another spell.

Chrome gritted her teeth, the muscles in her face stung every time she moved them but she managed to speak out, "G-Give her b-back…"

"You can still talk? Wow, you must really be something, but right now, I need you to shut up," he commanded his knights, "Break her jaw".

One of the knights pulled Chrome's head up by her hair and she winced in pain. But her eyes widened in fear when she saw the other holding a big mallet, tapping it at her jaw and positioning it over his shoulder, ready to swing down.

"Iie…" tears brimmed in her dreadful eyes, "Iie…!"

Out of the blue, an arrow pierced through the knight's forehead from the back of his skull and he tumbled down, blood spewing onto the dirt.

The other knight was not spared for he was dead the next second, having an arrow through his throat.

A spike-tipped chain whizzed through the air toward Martin, but he leapt away just in time and with an illusionary whirl of wind under him, he floated in the air.

The paralysis on Chrome came undone and she looked up to see none other than Hibari Kyoya standing in front of her.

"Ooh~ so the hunter comes to the rescue~" Martin cooed.

Hibari glared daggers at him before shooting an arrow engulfed in Cloud flames at him. That single arrow became a swamp, but none could hit the Prince.

"As I thought, a coward like you won't show yourself in your real body," Hibari remarked.

"Ah well, looks like I better take my leave. I'll see you next time, Chrome~" mist shrouded Martin and he vanished.

Hibari gave a huff and walked to Chrome who was sitting on the ground blankly.

He knelt down, holding her shoulders and checking her for injuries, _'She seems fine'_.

She suddenly gasped and grabbed his arms, "H-Hibari-san! Onisama has Yuni! We have to save her or she will die! She will die! Hibari-san, please—"

He clasped her face in his calloused hands firmly, making her stare straight into his eyes. Her nervous breathing gradually evened out and her trembling ceased. Sighing, she leant her head on his chest.

"Thank you…for saving me".

* * *

><p>"Are you all right, Princess?!"<p>

All the dwarves fussed over her when they assembled back at the cottage.

"I'm so sorry, Princess!" Tsuna apologised, bowing on the ground, "If I didn't ask for Reborn, he wouldn't need to leave your side and you wouldn't be—!"

"I-It's all right, Tsuna-kun," Chrome patted his head, "But what happened at your end?"

"I don't know how, but the knights spotted Gokudera-kun and I and started chasing us like mad. They were riding on horses that were so fast we couldn't outrun them. Since we couldn't engage in direct combat for fear of raising suspicion, I had to ask Reborn to secretly shoot down the knights and let us off…"

Mukuro spoke up, "You said you encountered the Prince, your brother, Princess?"

"Yes," Chrome hung her head, "I was tricked…by an illusion".

"Please don't fret, Princess. Beginners experience that often."

"That's why…that's why I'm going to work hard to perfect the mastery of my own mind, so that it won't happen again!"

Reborn stepped up to her, "Could you tell us more about your brother?"

Chrome nodded. She told them everything, not leaving a single detail out.

* * *

><p>"<em>Nagi, you like flowers?"<em>

"_Hai, onisama."_

"_Then let's make a garden together."_

"_Hai!"_

_The brother and sister had always been close. They were seen together most of the time, whether it was studying, eating or playing. _

"_Look, Nagi, I made a flower crown for you."_

"_Uwaaah! Arigato, onisama!" _

_Little Nagi loved her brother. However, she noticed a change in him after their mother died and the new Queen was introduced into their lives._

"_She's beautiful, isn't she, Nagi? She's going to make a great mother!" Nai commented, smiling admiringly at the woman as she chatted with the King. _

_Nagi was not as happy, "I don't want a new mother…"_

"_What's that you say?"_

"_I…I only love Kaa-san. I don't want THAT!"_

"_Shh, not so loud. Come on, Kaa-san is already dead. What can you do?"_

"_I still love her! I don't understand. Why are you the same as Tou-san, how can you betray Kaa-san?!" _

_Disappointed, the Princess ran away. _

_Three years after the Queen took over the rule of the kingdom, Snow White received an unexpected visitor to her prison. _

_She cried the moment she saw him, dressed in armory. _

"_Onisama!" _

_She thought he had finally come to save her, but was utterly wrong._

_When she approached him happily, he slapped her hard, making her fall down with a thud. Holding her swollen cheek, Nagi stared in shock at him. _

"_You're filthy. Don't come close to me," Nai insulted insensitively. _

"_O-Onisama, nande…?"_

"_You are not even in the same league as I. I'm now a powerful prince that has everyone under my influence. While you? Hah, you're just rotten piece of crap!" _

"_Onisama, why do you say that? What happened to you? What happened to the Nai I know?" _

"_Don't call me that. I am Martin. My faith and loyalty belong to Mother."_

_Nagi was stunned, "Why are you supporting her? She killed our family! Onisama, just why?" _

"_I'm not here to listen to your bullshit. I just want to give you something," he dropped a box to her in which she uncertainly picked up and opened it. _

_Inside was a pair of bloodstained eyeballs that she instantly recognised whose they were. _

_She screamed in terror. _

* * *

><p>"Oyasuminasai," Chrome shut the front door and walked to the side of the cottage, where she found Hibari sitting on the grass with an arm propped on his leg and looking up at the starry night sky.<p>

She called out to him and he turned, seeing her dressed in a glamorous kimono.

"A-Ah, the dwarves spent a lot of time making this for me in secret," his prolonged stare was making her blush, _'they knew about his eye candy too…'_

"Why haven't you gone to bed?" he inquired.

She walked toward him and sat down by his side, "I wanted to go with you…" Her face reddened at her own words.

He did not comment but returned his attention to the sky.

"Do you enjoy stargazing, Hibari-san?"

"Aa."

"I do, too. It became a hobby when I was in prison."

"…Do you still keep your mother's eyes?" despite knowing that topic was taboo, it was Hibari's way of trying to understand her feelings better.

Chrome's eyes watered but she calmed herself, "…Yes. They're still precious to me although it was such a cruel crime…"

Martin had made fun of her, declaring that he dug out the eyes of their mother from her sacred corpse and brought them to Chrome since she loved her so much.

"_She can now watch over you and you don't have to fear losing your sanity or enduring loneliness while you're stuck here!"_

Her brother's hurtful words stung her mind again, but she controlled herself not to show a hysterical breakdown in front of Hibari.

She was going to be strong for him.

* * *

><p>"It was as if he had a change of heart."<p>

Chrome lay on the futon in freefall position.

"He was just late in exposing his true colours," Hibari was at her legs, rolling down her stockings. He rubbed up and down the back of her thighs, relishing the smoothness of her skin. Chrome bit her lip at his touch.

He went to sit at her hips, removing her kimono layer by layer until the second last one. He pulled down the clothing, displaying her bare back. He traced his fingers down her backbone.

"I even suspected the Queen casted a spell on him…" she moaned softly when his lips left trails of kisses down her back. He moved up to her head, breathing in her hair's scent and brushing it lightly before shoving it aside for him to suck at the back of her neck. Chrome squeezed the pillow harder.

He flipped her around. Her blush was obvious even in the darkness. He pressed a thumb to her bottom lip before biting it. She closed her eyes tight when his tongue snuck in her mouth to play with hers. He then continued sucking her neck.

Chrome leant up and nipped Hibari's ear.

She recalled his words when she told them how she was tricked by her brother to leave the cottage, _"Nobody can trust a person 100%. Even if you see me, you have to be on guard."_

"_I understand,"_ she had answered, _"But perhaps I trust you 90%"_.

It was true. When it was the real him, she could just believe in everything he said or did.

She would not have it any other way.


	9. Desperation

"_Ooh la la ah ooh la la~ Ooh la la ah ooh…"_

Chrome held back a relieved sigh when she peeked through the door of the music room and saw that the dwarves were deeply engrossed in a karaoke session. With everyone occupied (including Hibari who was half an hour into his afternoon nap), she sneaked out the cottage easily.

She was not out to do something bad. She just wanted a solo trekking trip which she knew her caretakers would strongly protest against, especially after the Martin incident. But she needed some alone time in open space to clear her mind for a while. She had been moody recently, her brother and Yuni bugging at her mind non-stop. Obviously, she needed to invade the castle and stop the Queen's youth-thieving tactics to save that child, but it could be another trap laid out to make her return.

She was now a good distance from the cottage. She had been so worried for Yuni that she had not slept well. She kept thinking what she might be going through, watching as her fellow villagers got violated before having their life energy forcibly drawn out using some black magic or getting dissected alive and organs pulled out. What if _she_ was the one experiencing those tortures…?

Chrome shook her head of the horrible thoughts. She must not lose her composure at a time like this.

She trudged further into the woods, reminding herself that she needed to return to the cottage by an hour to make it seem that she had not left at all.

A white rabbit popped into view out of the corner of her eyes, and she offered a smile at the sweet little creature. She took cautious steps toward it to not frighten it away.

She knelt down and rubbed its soft head gently. It seemed to grow comfortable enough to cuddle closer to her.

However, something felt odd. Chrome looked closer at the rabbit. Its innocent beady eyes returned her stare but she did not have time to think more for the next moment the rabbit's limbs bent in awkward angles and its head cracked upside down as if invisible hands twisted its neck. The entire body then exploded into a puddle of flesh and blood.

Chrome shrieked and scurried away, shocked beyond words at the animal's self-destruction. _'W-What's going on?!'_ she almost wanted to vomit at the sight of the rabbit's remains and the blood on her dress.

Chrome then realised the rabbit was not ordinary, but a real illusion.

"How do you like that greeting?"

She flinched as an unknown voice echoed around her, "W-Who…?"

The surroundings suddenly shifted as if the trees were shoved aside to form a trail that did not exist in reality. The uneasy feeling when she met the fake Hibari roused and confirmed her suspicions of who was behind these pranks.

"Come now. Follow that path."

Chrome gasped, "Onisama!" She could not believe it…that they would meet again this soon.

"No point trying to call for help or tear through this illusion with a 'stronger willpower'. Just do as I say."

"Onisama, why…What do you want?"

"Hm? I just want to test you."

"T-Test?" Chrome panicked. She did not know whether to blame her carelessness or misfortune to get into such trouble on a simple trekking trip.

"You will find someone you want to see at the end of the trail," Martin pointed out.

"W-What…?"

"Go."

Chrome clenched her hands. This was all too sudden and she could not think straight. But her instincts told her to counter this pinch with courage and find out what on earth was up his sleeve. Martin could toy with her mind and five senses for all she cared but her feelings would never change.

Hence she ran down the path and ended up at some area she was unfamiliar with, hoping she did not get lost in the real forest.

She sensed a presence at the branch of a tree and quickly conjured illusionary bow and arrow, "Who's there?"

No one answered but familiar foamy mist caught her attention as Martin materialised, floating in mid-air a short distance from the tree.

"Today, I meet you, not to drag you back with me but to conduct a test for my own interest," he announced.

Chrome felt rather indignant. She wanted to shout at him, demand him to treat her like a person, not like an object he could just anyhow meddle with, demand him to treat her with dignity, but it was not in her nature to do so.

She really could not understand him, "Just…what do you want?"

"I want to see your reaction to desperation."

With a flick of his fingers, he undid the illusion concealing the presence at the tree branch.

Chrome's eyes widened.

With her hands tied to the branch and mouth gagged, Yuni looked upon the Princess with teary eyes.

There was no mistake. It was definitely the girl in the flesh.

"Y-Yuni!"

"I specially brought her over for you," Martin said.

Chrome examined Yuni. She appeared fine, except for the bruises forming at her wrists and the fright she was shaking from.

"Let go of her!" Chrome commanded.

"No, no, that won't do," he drawled, "She is what I need to test you".

"S-Stop joking! Yuni is innocent! Let go of her!"

"Innocent?" Martin chuckled, "How wrong you are. The moment she knows you're the Princess, she is no longer innocent. She and everyone you came across will not be forgiven for hiding you from us".

Chrome knew how true his words were.

Martin moved over to Yuni's side before declaring, "I'm going to kill this girl right before your eyes".

"E-Eh?" Yuni muttered in disbelief.

"NO!" Chrome exclaimed, aiming her arrow at the Prince and threatening to shoot, but that did nothing to daunt him.

He drew out a knife and sliced it across Yuni's waist, earning a sharp scream from her.

"STOP!" Chrome shot the arrow, but it passed through Martin, "N-No way…"

"I told you I'm giving you a test, didn't I?" his sinister tongue darted out to lick the blood on the knife.

"T-This is unreasonable!" Chrome cried.

"What do people do in the face of desperation? What are they prepared to give up for the sake of something else? What drives them to such extent? Those are questions I've been curious about," Martin stroke the blunt side of the knife along Yuni's arm as he spoke.

Chrome watched him with anticipation.

"Right now, you're probably desperate for this girl's safety. But think about your past. Who had you been desperate for? Have others felt desperation for you?"

Chrome lowered her head, expression solemn, "I…had been desperate for you, Onisama, when I thought the Queen was going to capture you. All those years in the prison, I had been wishing for your well-being, but I guess…it was for naught. Then I was desperate for myself to run from the castle. And then I'd been desperate to rescue Yuni tachi during the Namimori raid, and…"

"Have _others_ felt desperation for you?" Martin asked again with a tone of emphasis.

Chrome bit her lip, frowning. She thought of Hibari, of all the times he saved her. He was not someone who did that because of obligation to duty. She was certain he protected her because he wanted to.

"I'm sure…they cared for me," she murmured, "The dwarves and Hibari-san had been truly worried about me when you abducted me. And Obaasan made me leave so the army can't catch me. I, of all people, could definitely tell if there was sincerity in their actions".

She stared firmly back at Martin, "You can never fool me again".

He laughed amusedly, "Is that so? Then why don't you tell me what you plan to do to save your friend?" He gave a tug at Yuni's hair. The frantic look returned on Chrome's face.

"As you know, I'm an illusion. Your physical attacks won't work on me. To save your friend you have to get rid of me. But how are you going to do that?"

Chrome clenched her bow. He probably forgot she could use illusions.

Multiple long thick vines bolted from the ground and encircled tightly around Martin's limbs, pulling hard enough to restrain him. Chrome then shot an arrow at the rope that bound Yuni's hands, but to her astonishment, it was not cut.

"Heh, I already knew you would do something like that, so I reinforced the rope with layers of hardened gum. You have no hope of cutting through!" Martin yanked an arm from the vines' grasp, but they wrapped around him again, "Your illusions are commendable, but you cannot stop me!"

Chrome ignored her brother as another plan formulated in her mind and she gave it a try.

She shut her eyes and gathered her imaginations, creating a large saw in her hands. She rushed to the tree trunk and climbed up at an amazing speed, her practices with Hibari paying off. Holding the heavy saw in her left hand, she reached over to the branch Yuni was tied to but before she could cut it, she was pierced in the stomach with a dart.

"ARGGGHH!" she fell to the ground painfully.

"Princess!" Yuni screamed.

Steel spikes had protruded from Martin's limbs, slicing the vines apart. Chrome watched as her illusions came flapping down uselessly. She looked back at her brother, gasping at the crazy sight of his 'porcupine' appearance.

The spikes slid back into him and the holes in his clothing closed, as if nothing happened.

"You're a persistent one, aren't you?" he snarled.

Chrome slowly plucked the dart from her stomach, grimacing at the blood.

"I'll give you a hint," Martin's voice seized her attention, "My chest is linked to my real body. So if you shoot there, I'll be all yours".

Chrome's heart pounded, _'Is he saying that I must…?'_

He laughed at her, "What's with that look? Don't tell me you don't want to kill me?"

She did not know why she was hesitating. That despicable man betrayed their family, dug out their mother's eyes, assisted the Queen in dirty quests, killed so many innocent people in the village, wanted to break her jaw and used Yuni as a hostage, yet Chrome could not bring herself to take his life.

Why? What was hindering her? Her softness? Hibari had indeed complained about that.

Memories of their childhood flooded her mind, when they made their own garden, when he gave her a flower crown and all the other times he played with her, when he treated her like a dear sister.

Chrome shook her head. She was not going to dwell on the past. He was different now. But when she looked at him, her heart could not help but waver at the thought of killing him.

To her, he was still Brother Nai.

Martin pulled Yuni's head up by her hair and positioned the knife at her throat, "Well, are you going to make a move?"

"No, please! Princess, s-save me!" tears streamed down Yuni's face.

Bewildered, Chrome pointed her arrow at Martin again, "Stop!"

"What do you intend to do?"

"Onisama, s-stop this!" she began to choke on her words as she trembled in anxiety.

"Then come at me with killing intent."

Chrome jolted at those words. They sounded awfully familiar.

"_Get rid of your herbivorous softness. Come at me with killing intent." _

'_Hibari-san, w-what should I do? Must I really kill him?'_

Her dilemma was shoved aside when Martin cut Yuni's elbow. She shot at him, but true enough, he was not affected. It seemed only shooting the chest would work, but that also meant ending his life.

"I will go back with you!" Chrome blurted out.

Martin raised an eyebrow.

"I-If you let go of Yuni, I'll return to the castle with you."

"Hmm…so that's what you're willing to sacrifice in exchange for her safety?" he inquired, "Is that your resolve? Are you driven by the fact she's a friend?"

"I mean it, onisama!" everyone had been so kind to her. They had done more than necessary for her, so she thought it was appropriate to give her freedom, and possibly life, up for them too.

Upon hearing her decision, Yuni was inclined to change her mind about asking to be spared. She could not bear to see the Princess surrender herself for her sake. But having the knife at her throat was too scary for her to handle as well.

"I don't believe you," Martin's words stung both girls.

"N-Nande…?" Chrome stuttered.

"You're a lowly trickster. I wouldn't believe you for a single second."

"No, I'm serious! Please!"

"I'll proceed," he pressed the knife to Yuni's throat.

"I-Iie! PRINCESSSSSS!" Yuni shrieked in terror.

Chrome had never thought how horrible it was to be under such immerse pressure and in the highest level of desperation. Her hands shook incredibly but she kept repeating to herself, _'No, I musn't! I need composure, composure!'_

"_Just with a slight shake of your hands, the arrow may go off in its direction. By missing those few degrees, you may not hit your target."_

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the arrow tighter to steady herself while she tried to force back the tears in her eyes that blurred her vision.

"YAMETEEEEEE!"

She shot, but half a second later she realised Martin had already slit Yuni's throat.


End file.
